


The Song Remains the Same

by linguisticallycunning



Series: Looking Back [3]
Category: Star Trek: Voyager
Genre: Eventual sexy times, F/F, Not Canon Compliant, Some angst, crashing to an ending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-28
Updated: 2019-10-13
Packaged: 2019-11-07 03:10:23
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 21
Words: 23,241
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17952527
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/linguisticallycunning/pseuds/linguisticallycunning
Summary: This is the third and final story in Looking Back. Here we find Seven stranded on an alien planet and KJ must find a way to rescue her lady love before finding a way home for Voyager.NB While it is not necessary to read the previous two stories, it might be a little confusing if you haven’t.





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> Here’s the beginning of the end! No idea where I’m going yet but I wanted to get something posted before February was over. Let me know what you think. Any comments, kudos are graciously accepted. Thanks for being the best readers a writer could find.

 

 

The words simple and easy were missing from the dictionary of Kathryn Janeway. It was a family trait, she reasoned. Certainly both of her parents were strivers in every direction. She came by it honestly. But then, why must she feel so envious of her sister, especially at the start of a crisis? When Phoebe would be at her most useless! No, it was for all the other times, other time Phoebe possessed. It was irrational but then so were most emotions. The elder Janeway shook her head then impatiently hailed Seven again.

Again there was no response.

Seven had only left an hour ago with the third away team. Their comm badges had ceased working as soon as they’d landed the Delta Flyer on the surface. There was something in the atmosphere blocking them. Kathryn didn’t like the silence. And she certainly didn’t like Seven being down there, ensconced in whatever was causing it. The Captain berated herself for a moment. She didn’t like having any of her people down there in danger, she couldn’t help she thought of Seven first.

She shook her head, to clear the jumble of uneasy thoughts before they could settle and bring her further down the rabbit hole. No, she had to get to the bottom of this to get her people back. And the answers were not to be found in her ready room, she thought as she stood stiffly and headed for the door.

  
Astrometrics was empty. The Captain strode in, half-expecting to see her partner before the view screen. The lab felt larger and much emptier without Seven but Janeway couldn’t let herself get distracted. Seven had found something in those first scans. It had seemed minor when the second set of scans had been clear but now Kathryn’s mind played on the possibilities. They had missed something.

 

 

 

Seven scanned the perimeter. They were surrounded by dense forest and judging from the elevated temperature and humidity levels, it could be considered a tropical environment. The atmosphere above was dense with a mix of gases and though it was uncomfortable, the air was quite breathable. Seven sensed Tuvok moving behind her as he ran a similar series of scans. Tom had stayed back at the Delta Flyer. The descent had scrambled countless relays and sensors, and without the shuttle’s comm system, only their comm badges linked them back to Voyager. And the badges weren’t working.

She heard Tom’s footsteps as well as some skillful swearing in Klingon. Despite her borgness, Seven echoed his sentiments. She would much rather be back aboard Voyager with Kathryn. The illogic of that statement would have confounded her a year ago. Now, it was still illogical but Seven found she did not care about the logic of it.

Instead, she forced herself to refocus on her scans for Ensigns Kim, Wildman, Dalby, and Jenkins, and Lieutenants Nicoletti, Carey, and Ayala. They were the members of the combined lost away teams. There was no sign they were together and as they had all beamed to the surface directly, there were no shuttle trails to follow. So far Seven had nothing to show. It was disheartening, she thought as Tom arrived huffing.

 

“There’s a cave system according to the flyer’s scans. It would have to be due west of here. It seemed to have some kind of dampening field around it so I’m not sure the tricorders will pick it up at all.” Tom was red faced and his heart rate was elevated. He had clearly run from the shuttle and Seven restrained herself from mentioning his poor physical conditioning.

 

“Thank you Lieutenant Paris. Did the scans display any lifesigns? In the caves or otherwise?” Ever practical, Tuvok was already trying to orient their path to Tom’s bearings.

 

“Small mammals and reptilian readings but the scans did not penetrate the caves or below the surface.”

 

“I propose we make our way in the direction of the caves. It is likely that this dampening field may be shielding our away teams. It may be hostile.”

 

Seven reached around and unslung the phaser rifle from her pack. It was large, even for her, and she was suddenly reminded of Kathryn, and the way her arms rippled when she aimed that particular weapon.

 

“Seven,” Tuvok’s voice broke through her moment of bliss and Seven redirected her attention.

 

“I scanned the area with additional Borg algorithms. I could not penetrate the caves themselves but the dampening field is definitely artificial. I could not ascertain more at this distance.”

 

“Then we will make our way towards the caves. We must disable the field as well as find the away teams.”

 

They set off silently. Tom suppressed his nervous chatter. A Borg and a Vulcan were no comfort to the nerves. He concerned himself instead with how sweaty he’d gotten. It was stinking hot on the surface but you’d never know looking at the other two. Complaining wouldn’t get him any cooler. So he contented himself with all the ways he would get Harry back for this.

 

  
The forest was dense and making their progress slow and arduous. Even Seven with all her Borg enhancement struggled against the wild undergrowth. She distracted herself with thoughts of Kathryn. And Kathryn’s voice rippled through her as Seven’s thoughts grew lustier and more inappropriate with every step she made.

 

“Wow, it must be really stinking hot!” Tom exclaimed. “Even Seven’s red-faced! What about you Tuvok? I was starting to develop and inferiority complex over here.”

 

Without warning, both Seven and Tuvok came to abrupt halt. Tom stumbled into them but, before he could swear, his eyes followed theirs. They stood on the edge of a sheer cliff that had come out of nowhere. The trees ran almost to the edge of the land. Far below them, a river of blue-gold rushed and crashed. Seven’s eyes scanned this new predicament and quickly fell on a small, dark patch in the cliff wall facing them. She refocused her eyes and scanned the area again.

 

“I believe we may have located the caves,” stated Seven flatly, her sapphire eyes now flitting over their surroundings. “However, there is no available route from this precipice.”

 

 

 

 


	2. Chapter Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First update. Attempting to move this month so please forgive my lags. Please let me know what you think. This story hasn’t quite solidified and I love input.

 

 

 

Tensions were running high on board Voyager. It had been over eight hours since the third away team had set off and there had been no word since they’d broken through the planets thick atmosphere. B’Elanna had stormed around Engineering yelling at anyone that crossed her path. After her hundredth screaming lap, Vorick had worked up the nerve to suggest she might take a break. She yelled at him extra, telling him exactly what he could do with spanner he was holding. But much to everyone’s relief, the Chief had finally stormed away, and not just from the still placid Vulcan. Her temper carried her right out of Engineering but she had no destination in mind. She was anxious and that just made her angrier. Plus she and Tom had been in the middle of a three day fight, totally unresolved and suddenly regrettable. That thought did nothing to calm the tempest of emotions crashing through B’Elanna Torres. She thought for a moment of heading to the Holodeck for a fast workout but thought better of it as her feet had brought her to the doors of Astrometrics.

  
B’Elanna had expected to find the lab quiet with Seven on the away mission. Every monitor was alive, data flying over several as the computer scanned through millions of images on others. In the middle of it all, stood B’Elanna’s diminutive captain looking nearly as crazed as B’Elanna felt.

 

“Captain, I guess I shouldn’t be surprised to find you here,” B’Elanna said with a small smile belying all of her coiled tension.

Janeway had whipped around at the sound of the door and she looked up at B’Elanna with a look of undisguised disappointment. It was completely unrealistic to have expected it to be Seven but it hurt nonetheless. But before B’Elanna could continue, down dropped the command mask and it was the Captain that answered.

“Evening Lieutenant,” she paused gathering herself a bit. “Seven found something on one of these scans. I’ve been going over and over them but I can’t seem to find what she saw.” Her frustration punctuated her words and B’Elanna knew she’d have to tread carefully.

“Well, I don’t know about you, but I could use some coffee. Then I can help you go over these scans again.” As if on cue, B’Elanna’s stomach growled ominously.

Even in this state of utter tension, the Captain fought to stifle a smile.

“And maybe some dinner?” At that she did smile and B’Elanna exhaled a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding. “C’mon, lets go to the mess hall, surely the dinner rush has thinned by now.”

Janeway quickly downloaded the scans to a couple padds before striding ahead of her Chief Engineer and out of Astrometrics. B’Elanna had to jog to keep up behind her.

 

The mess hall was fairly deserted when they arrived and Neelix pounced right on them.

“Captain! Lieutenant! Might I interest the two of you in tonight’s special, Telaxian Bolognese?”

The noodles seemed to move on the plate and both Janeway and B’Elanna took an involuntary step back.

“That looks— intriguing Neelix, but I think I’m sticking to coffee tonight.” She could hear Seven’s chastisement in her head.

“Actually, would it be possible to just get some scrambled eggs and toast?”

“For you Captain, of course. And for the Lieutenant?”

“I would really love some some pancakes. And some of that spiced meat thing from last night. Please.” Janeway raised her eyebrow at that but managed to stop the smirk from reaching her lips. B’Elanna tended towards her Klingon side when she was stressed and it was endearing in way B’Elanna despised.

“Coming right up,” he said quickly as he scooted away to fetch their meals. Neelix was keenly aware that both these women were currently missing their partners and though they were acting their parts, he could still feel the tension rolling off them.

They settled in the corner. No one else remained and it was deathly quiet save for the clatter of Neelix. He appeared a moment later and deposited their plates and a full urn of coffee. He quickly made himself scarce and the two women turned their attentions to their laden plates.

The Captain was still more interested in the coffee. Her appetite was lost but she did manage to eat some of her eggs and a piece of toast. On the other hand, B’Elanna inhaled the pancakes and the Talaxian spice mystery meat and was just beginning to eye the Captain’s eggs when she finally came up for air.

“They’re all yours, Lieutenant,” Janeway said as she slid the plate across the table. Then she refilled her mug and took a deep breath. “So let’s start with what do we know?”

Plates now empty, B’Elanna also filled a mug. Coffee was not her favorite, especially without cream or sugar, but it was effective. She felt the jolt of caffeine with the first sip.

“Well, we know they landed the Flyer. There was a broken message to that effect. Also we can locate the shuttle on the surface as well as mottled life signs. There is something blocking us and I’m not sure it’s just the atmosphere.”

“I think Seven had found something that would correlate, something artificial,” Janeway reached for one of the padds and began to flip through Seven’s scans. “Look! I can’t believe I didn’t see it before!”

She pointed to a faint patch just beyond the boundaries of the planet. Seven had noted it as well as triangulated something using it as a point.

“It’s a moon!” B’Elanna exclaimed. “How did we not see it?”

“It’s partially shielded. This scan barely picked it up.”

“It could be responsible for blocking our comm badges and transporters,” B’Elanna’s mind was starting to fly.

“Well from this scan, the moon is opposite our current position. I think we should get closer and see what’s actually there.”

Janeway was on her feet before she’d even finished the thought. She lit out of the mess, clutching her coffee mug, B’Elanna once again at her heels.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kudos and comments graciously accepted. Thanks for reading!


	3. Chapter Three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey thanks to all you great readers out there! I didn’t realize I had the comment moderation on. Oops my finger slipped! So should be back to say what you will if you’d like to tell me what you think. 
> 
> Also I thought I’d get this chapter posted now. Next update may not be for a couple weeks as I am off on a business trip tomorrow and the moving (yay but omg) by the end of the month. So here’s your bribe for good behavior until I return. 
> 
> Thanks again for the kudos and comments. When I’m crazy stressed and think I’ve definitely forgotten how to write, I go back and see all of your nice words and they always inspire me to get back to work. It’s hard to write without a reader.

 

 

  
This was the forest primeval, Tom thought, a dinosaur would seem right at home. He, on the other hand, would much rather see the last of it. He had no idea why Chakotay had thought this planet a good candidate for shore leave. He supposed a different continent might have more appealing terrain but he was no longer interested in hanging around to find it. No, there was something sinister lurking, it wasn’t just the shadow of the underbrush.

Seven was irritated how far they had to backtrack. It had taken nearly half a day but they finally reached a place where the river narrowed. There were several fallen trees, enough for them to cross the choking waters. Now on the other side of the river, they needed to find a route up the cliff face and into the caves.

The sun had set a while ago and the temperature had begun to drop at a shocking rate. Tom was shivering through his dried sweat when Tuvok again halted their progress.

“I believe we should set up camp for the night. We are too far to use the Flyer for shelter and I believe this cliff is far more treacherous in the low light.”

“You’ll get no argument here, I am beat,” Tom said with a heavy sigh.

“While I am not in need of regeneration, to rest when we can is practical.”

“Ever efficient, Seven,” Tom said as he fought to stifle a yawn.

  
They found a small sheltered patch of grass protected by some shrubby trees at the base of the cliff. It took little time to erect the simple structure and even less for them to demolish the emergency ration packs.

Tuvok took the first watch, allowing both Seven and Tom a few hours to rest. Seven wasn’t feeling particularly tired but she lay back on the cot anyway. Within moments, she could hear Tom snoring on the other side of the tent. She rolled her eyes to herself before a tiny memory of Kathryn’s snoring danced across her memory. It was enough to distract Seven’s mind away from her current predicament. Before she realized it, Seven drifted off into a light slumber.

 

  
The morning light was painfully bright, streaming into the ancient looking kitchen. Seven squinted, inhaling the heady scent of lilac wafting through the open windows. She recognized her surroundings but they were still unfamiliar. This was Bloomington. Kathryn’s Bloomington. And as if thinking of her made her appear, Kathryn herself chose that moment to stride in the back door.

She was clad in farm clothes, a red flannel shirt over a white t-shirt and worn blue jeans, and Seven couldn’t take her eyes off her.

“I must be dreaming,” she thought out loud and Kathryn smiled.

“Me too. But here we are,” Kathryn said as she walked straight up to Seven and threw her arms around the taller woman’s neck and pulling her in for a less than chaste kiss.

Forgetting all else, Seven returned the kiss with fervor, pushing Kathryn back several inches until her jean clad legs scraped the bench of the wooden kitchen table. In a single, quick motion, Seven lifted Kathryn from her feet until she was sitting on the edge of the table.

If Kathryn was surprised, she didn’t act it as her busy hands found their way past Seven’s t-shirt.

Suddenly, Seven pulled back and still gasping managed to say, “Kathryn, wait—oh, please—no, wait!”

“Fuck, Seven, What is it?” Kathryn was also gasping and red faced and not entirely pleased with the hold up.

“We’re here. We’re actually here.”

Kathryn’s mind spun for a second.

“So we are. And I will wildly assume you are ok then?”

“I am. We have found the source of the disruption.”

“So have we. There’s a moon—“

“There is also a cave. We will reach its entrance by late morning tomorrow.”

“I wish I could be with you when you do,” Kathryn absently twirled a lock of Seven’s golden hair around her fingers as she thought. “We should be approaching that moon around the same time.”

“I will confer with Tuvok once I regain consciousness. Perhaps we can find a way to coordinate our plans, Captain.”

“Enough of the Captain,” she said as she captured Seven’s lips once again before wrapping her legs around Seven’s waist and pulling her closer.

Taking the hint Seven pushed the still t-shirt clad farm-girl until she lay across the table. Seven pinned her there, stealing both their breath in a heated kiss. Clothing began to fly and, moments later, Seven tugged away the last of the denim until they were both gloriously naked. She admired Kathryn’s flushed face as she slotted her thigh between the muscular legs that parted before her. Slowly she began to kiss a path down Kathryn’s neck.

“Oh Seven, don’t stop,” she moaned and Seven had no intention of stopping.

 

“Seven.”

 

“Seven!”

That was not Kathryn.

 

“Seven of Nine.”

 

“Fuck,” Seven swore sitting up with a start.

 

Tuvok and Tom stood gaping having never heard Seven utter any profanity ever.

“Excuse me, Commander, I must have fallen asleep.” Seven blinked several times, her mind was still filled with Kathryn.

“It is nearly day break,” Tuvok said, his tone unflappable. “I believe we should head out at first light. Scaling the cliff face may prove a slow endeavor.”

“Commander, I believe there may also be a moon in orbit that could be responsible for the dampening field.”

“How’d you figure that, Seven?” Tom questioned, his voice still thick with sleep.

“I—I have a very special bond with Captain Janeway,” was all Seven would answer. She was relieved the Doctor had been true to his word, clearly he’d kept silent about the source of her sudden psychic ability.

“Well that I know Seven!” Tom fired back. “Are you saying that you dreamt of her?”

“I am saying there is more to this planet. If there is satellite involvement than we may be dealing with far more advanced foes than we had anticipated.” Seven was annoyed she had to spell it out for Tom. Meanwhile, Tuvok had been appraising her with a critical eye and the look he gave her spoke volumes.

“We shall depart in fifteen minutes. Seven, a word,” Tuvok ordered before turning on his heel and exiting the tent.

Once outside, Seven realized it was almost completely light. There small site was hidden in the shadows but rays of bright amber light danced over the trees studding the far bank of the river. Water rushed, sparkling white and gold in the early sunlight. Seven squinted as her eyes adjusted to the glare. There was a hint of a blush hanging in graceful planes of Seven’s cheeks. Tuvok took note of that as well. If he had been less Vulcan, he might have even smiled at Seven’s discomfort. As it was, he merely sought the truth in order to remedy their current situation.

  
“You are capable of communicating telepathically with the Captain?” But it was not a question, Tuvok had already surmised as much. “Was she able to tell you anything else?”

“Only that Voyager would reach that moon by 1100 hours. How—“

“It was merely a logical conclusion that you have now confirmed. The ‘how’ is of no consequence to me. And with that information, we should try and coordinate our timing with Voyager’s.”

Tom emerged from the tent and proceeded to quickly break down the abode. He handed one pack to Seven and slung the other over his shoulder. Tuvok was already wearing his pack. After downing a few ration packs they refilled their canteens in the river and began the treacherous ascent to the caves.

 

 

 


	4. Chapter Four

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for waiting! I know it’s taken too long. More in the works and hopefully posted soon. Thanks so much for the kind words and reminders. The move was long and crazy and we’re still unpacking but the new place is great for writing which is good news for all!

 

  
Kathryn woke with a crick in her neck and an ache in her loins. That was a cruel end to a wonderful dream, she thought as she unfolded her screaming limbs from the couch in her ready room. That dream though. Her mind roiled. That dream was too real. It was another one. It hadn’t happened in awhile but she had surely been with Seven. Relief flooded over her, just knowing Seven was ok for the moment.

Pins and needles prickled in her crampy feet as she stood and tried desperately to stretch it all away. But that was only enough to make her realize how stiff she truly was. And just to add to her list of maladies, she was all wound up with no relief in sight. Getting too old for passing out on the couch too.

Truth be told, she hadn’t meant to fall asleep at all. She’d been going over the charts for the umpteenth time. She’d excused B’Elanna after they planned to meet at 0900, nearly two hours before they reached the moon. They decided a stealthy approach was best and Voyager had been crawling the long way around. Even this far above the planet, the sensor array was misbehaving and that was slowing their progress as well. B’Elanna had plead with her to get some sleep, even tried to guilt her like Seven would but she’d stubbornly replicated more coffee instead of listening. She must have fallen asleep not long after that, the half drunk coffee still sat on the table. She ran her fingers through her hair. Even her scalp ached.

“Computer, time?” Janeway’s voice was gravelly with sleep and she barely stifled a yawn. Coffee, she needed coffee.

“The current time is 0842,” the cool voice of Voyager’s systems answered.

She stopped halfway to the replicator. There was enough time for her to take a sonic shower and change before meeting B’Elanna. She really didn’t want to march onto the Alpha shift bridge looking as bedraggled as she knew she must.

“Computer, site to site transport to the Captain’s quarters, authorization Janeway pi delta nine seven.”

With a shimmer of photons, she was gone, reappearing a moment later in her own quarters. There she made a beeline to her replicator before heading, coffee in hand, into the sonic shower. She would have preferred a hydro one but there just wasn’t time. Plus the sonic shower tended to have a sobering effect on her and her twitchy hormones.

 

Janeway marched onto the bridge clean and on her second cup of coffee fifteen minutes later. After checking in with Chakotay and confirming the rendezvous, she headed out to Engineering to meet with B’Elanna. She’d just stepped onto the turbolift when felt a tug at the bottom of her tunic. She looked down to see a scared looking Naomi Wildman looking up at her with wide eyes. Her mother was a member of one of the missing away teams and Neelix was supposed to be keeping an eye on her.

“Naomi,” Janeway tried to soften her eyes but Naomi was clearly struggling to form woods. Instead Janeway couched down beside the child and took both her hands.

“It’s going to be ok, Naomi. I know you’re scared for your mom. But, you want to know a secret?”

Naomi was fighting off tears but she managed to nod.

“I’m scared too.”

Naomi’s eyes grew wide as she openly gaped at her role model.

“It’s ok to feel scared. I also have faith in our people, in Seven, and your mom, and Tuvok. We’ll get them back but I’ll need your help to do it.”

“My help?” Naomi squeaked.

“Yes, as Captain’s Assistant you have a very important job to do. You see, there is a Holodeck program called Janeway farm one point two. Can you remember that?”

“Janeway farm one point two,” Naomi repeated solemnly.

“I want you to take Neelix there and I want you two to plan a party for when we can all be together again. Do you accept your mission, Assistant Wildman?”

“Yes, Captain. You will not be disappointed,” Naomi was trying so hard to act grown up. Janeway had faced down Hirogen, species 8472, even Seven in a temper, and yet the sight of Naomi being so brave cracked her Captain’s resolve.

“We have to be strong for them,” Janeway said quietly. Then she quickly reached out and gathered the surprised girl a hug. Naomi clung to her but she finally had to pull away, standing abruptly.

“Now go find Neelix and relay your orders.”

Naomi looked up, a small smile creeping. She threw her arms around Janeway’s narrow hips just as the lift doors slid open. Naomi pulled quickly away and dashed off the lift.

“Thanks, Captain,” she yelled over her shoulder.

Janeway shook her head. She had to get them back. This was getting ridiculous!

The doors opened again, this time onto Engineering.

She could hear B’Elanna before she saw her.

“I don’t care if—oh Captain, good morning,” B’Elanna recovered almost smoothly. The terrified Ensign took the opportunity to slip away. B’Elanna let her go, she’d made her point.

“Glad to see you still have them hopping,” Janeway smiled. “What’s our status?”

“Warp core is fully functional. I was about to go help Celes get Astrometrics scanning on all available channels and arrays. We should be ready well before Voyager is in position.”

“Excellent. That is excellent news. I’m not opposed to landing Voyager to end this but I’d rather not. At least not until we neutralize whatever is coming from this moon.”

“Understood. I hope it doesn’t come to that.”

“Me neither. I will be taking the bridge shortly. But first, let me give you a hand with Astrometrics. Seven’s codes can be, fussy.”

Janeway turned and headed back towards the lift. If B’Elanna hadn’t known better, she could have sworn she saw a smirk crack the old command mask.

 


	5. Chapter Five

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for being patient! I know it’s been awhile between updates but I haven’t forgotten. Hopefully another update very soon as well. Thanks for all the comments and kudos, they really helped kickstart these chapters so cheers!

 

 

  
The ascent up the cliff proved more difficult than they’d anticipated. The heavy atmosphere weighed heavy and was only added to by intermittent bursts of rain. Seven was perspiring though her bio suit whisked the moisture away almost instantly. Sweating was still a new sensation for her. Her Borg physiology had always regulated her bodily function and deemed perspiration unnecessary. When your body is over half exoplating, sweating becomes counterproductive. Even with most of her’s removed, the nanoprobes continued to regulate her body temperature. The Doctor had thought little of this lack, being an unsweating collection of photons himself. It was not until her Velocity matches with the Captain had become a weekly date, not until she witnessed Janeway’s flushed face, her hair darkening, just beginning to curl, the heady aroma of spice and salty lavender. It had taken her breath away and Janeway had beaten her handily that night.

 

That had been over nineteen months ago. Seven had been overwhelmed by the sensations Janeway’s perspiration had inspired in her. It became difficult to concentrate on Velocity, almost impossible, and Janeway’s win streak continued unblemished, infuriating Seven to no end. But Seven had noticed that Janeway’s body responded specifically towards her, and that extended beyond the Holodeck. Out of a mix of curiosity and frustration, Seven commanded her nanoprobes to allow her to perspire within normal human parameters.

 

The next Velocity match proved Seven’s hypothesis and even yielded her a set. It had also yielded the Captain a sprained shoulder which caused Seven to be overly concerned, dragging Janeway directly to sick bay. While they there, Seven witnessed no less than five spikes in the Captain’s vital signs, all directly related to her proximity to the still sweating Seven. It was so obvious that even the Captain had to remark.

 

“Seven, are you-are you sweating?”

 

“Captain,” Seven played aloof.

 

“Are you sweating, perspiring? I didn’t—

 

Janeway stopped speaking as quickly as she’d begun but Seven couldn’t help but notice the captains heart rate and respiration spiked just as she clammed up. She really was an infuriating individual, Seven remembered with a tiny smirk. It seemed an eternity ago right now and as she was currently overwhelmed by the perspiration of Tom Paris, it took little effort to divert her mind to more productive matters.

  
They were closing in on the cave but the ascent had grown nearly vertical. It was taking ages and it felt like they were going exactly nowhere. Seven was frustrated both by the climb and by her inability to communicate with Janeway. They were getting close and it was nearly 1100 hours, the time they had agreed upon in the dream. Seven wanted desperately to confirm their position but it was no use. Kathryn Janeway may be in possession of Seven’s nanoprobes, without a cortical node, Seven had no way to direct them. Their subconscious link was just a pleasant side effect. Nevertheless, Seven tried in vain to reach her Captain and mate. She received nothing but staticky silence from her comm badge for her efforts.

 

 

 

“Red Alert!”

  
The klaxons blared as Voyager lurched to a full stop.

  
“Captain!” B’Elanna screamed over the comm. “We’ve lost warp drive!”

  
Captain Janeway pulled herself up to her feet. The entire bridge crew had lost their equilibrium as the ship slammed into an unseen barrier. Chakotay swore as he got to his feet.

  
“Impulse engines are offline!” Brooks yelled from beside the helm.

  
“What the hell was that?” Chakotay was not the only one to say that. The whole ship echoed that very sentiment.

  
The captain was less confused and narrowed her eyes at the viewscreen where a small, silver-blue moon hung suspended, just out of their reach.

  
“It’s shielded and somehow we’ve gotten caught in it,” she said as she wiped her brow and realized she was bleeding. She tapped her comm badge.

  
“Captain to Engineering. Report!”

  
“The warp core is totally offline. I’ve never seen anything like this. But it’s intact. We’re just not going anywhere fast anytime soon.”

  
“Stand down Red Alert,” she turned to Chakotay, “Get a repair team together for B’Elanna. There’s something on that moon. We need to figure out how to reach it. You have the conn,” she commanded before she rose and stalked heavily into her Ready Room.

 

  
Janeway hailed Seven but to no avail. Something was still clearly blocking all communications to the planet. The away team had clearly not succeeded in breaking through the shielding. It was beyond frustrating. She slammed her hand into the top of her desk. Her anger was more of a force than she realized and her hand cracked the heavy polymer top clear across one side. She swore then, at her throbbing hand and at her missing Seven. It all felt like a bad dream, all of it but the ache in her hand. It felt a little broken. She winced and forced her mind to the larger problem. She needed to talk to B’Elanna. They had to find a way to that moon. And they needed to be unmoored, they were a sitting duck otherwise.

  
She hailed B’Elanna first and arranged to meet her shortly in Engineering. Then she rose from her desk, wincing as her right hand made contact with her chair. She would have to stop at sick bay first as her hand was definitely a little broken.

 

 

 

 


	6. Chapter Six

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for your patience as I work through this one. The infusions of kudos and comments are much appreciated!

 

It took almost seven hours to ‘unstick’ Voyager from the mysterious shielding. They still had no warp drive nor were they any closer to the surface of the moon. The countless scans showed some previously unseen deposits of deuterium but nothing else that would provide a clue. The Captain had tried to hail the away teams countless times but it was useless. At least the doctor had mended her hand, though it still ached with a dull thumping.

 

Her frustration was still incalculably high and she was just fighting to keep a lid on it. So desperate was she that she’d even thought of landing Voyager but she couldn’t risk it. The alien technology could cause irreparable harm to her ship. They had to find another way. B’Elanna had been making some steady progress with some EM pulses. If they could just find a crack, just a tiny fissure, it would be enough to get a pulse through. But they had found no break, no fracture, not even a seam. They would continue searching in the morning. Currently engineering teams were working around the clock on the warp core. There was nothing else she could do. The Doctor had reminded her in not uncertain terms and she had uncharacteristically acquiesced. That was disturbing to the EMH but he let it slide.

  
Now she was home, alone. She wasn’t the least bit tired and she missed Seven sorely. She was willing to try anything to reach her, even if it meant going to sleep. The Doctor had given her an extra sedative hypospray some time ago and she retrieved it from her bedside table. She tossed it on the bed and grabbed her pajamas from beneath her pillow. She walked into the en-suite, dropping her pajamas with her comm badge, on the shelf behind the tub. She turned on the water and the tub filled nearly instantly, filling the air with a peculiar but heady combination of sandalwood and rose petal. Half hers and half Seven’s, the scent jolted Kathryn’s senses and for a moment she couldn’t breathe. Slowly she managed to inhale as she fought to still the rising panic in her chest.

  
The water stopped and the Captain finally shed her uniform, piece by piece, feeding each one into the recycler, and swearing as she heard her pips whoosh away with her tunic. Seven was always catching her pips, stopping them from destruction. She knew how much Janeway hated to replicate new ones. But Seven wasn’t here and away the pips went, she sighed to herself as she stepped into the steaming water.

  
Her thoughts wandered, never swaying far from Seven. It wasn’t helping her to feel this desperation but she didn’t know how to quell it either. Usually the steamy heat distracted her a little more than this. She was tight, beyond tight, and the more she thought of relaxing, the tenser she became. Seven would not be happy to see this, she thought as she began to stand. She was giving up, disgusted. Then suddenly, she sat back with a splash, unsure of what prompted her. Seven would laugh at her human fickleness and Kathryn shook her head, wishing once more that Seven was there.

  
She absently watched a soap bubble rise on a jet of scented steam. She marveled at its iridescence as it jerked and swayed, fighting to rise in the heavy atmos. Unable to stop herself, Janeway reached out to the bubble, tapping it with her finger. The bubble exploded into tiny microprisms that disappeared as they dissipated. The image stuck in her mind as she marveled at how seemingly solid the bubble had appeared.

  
She might not be tired but her mind clearly was, she thought absently. Inane soap bubbles, what I need is a way through, either to that moon or to the planet. She didn’t care which at this point, either was better than being stuck in this limbo. She ran a cloth over her limbs then shampooed her hair, wishing every second that Seven was there to do it for her. The water was cooling quickly all around her so she decided to speed things up a bit.

  
“Computer, drain tub and start hydro shower,” she commanded as she stood, shampoo running into her eyes and making them burn. A moment later a stream of steamy water pulsed down on her, rinsing away the soap almost instantly. She smoothed a conditioner over her short locks and washed her face quickly as it set. Once she rinsed that away, she let the water run over her face once more before commanding it off.

  
A yawn rose, unbidden, and Janeway gave in to it, allowing her mouth to stretch and gape until her eyes watered. Everything still felt surreal and the bathing had done little to assuage her worried mind. She wrapped a towel around her waist as she ran her fingers through her wet hair. Then she pulled on a clean t-shirt before using the towel to dry her hair. She stepped into the pajama pants and tossed the towel into the recycler.

  
The pants felt odd, she so often wore nothing when Seven was around and when she did, it was often a nightgown. But she’d wanted to feel like Seven a little she supposed and Seven often wore pants. It was endearing, possibly because of the first time, when Seven replicated an oversized child’s pair equipped with fuzzy bunny feet. Janeway had laughed herself right out of bed but Seven persisted in wearing them. Even now they lay in Seven’s small wardrobe, pressed neatly in the cargo crate in Janeway’s closet. They may not have officially moved in together but Seven had slowly been acquiring space within the Captain’s Quarters.

  
Once dressed, Janeway left the en-suite and headed stiffly towards the bed. She picked up the hypospray with one hand and sighed dramatically for no one but herself. The soap bubble floated her mind’s eye as her eyes drifted to the space across from her bed, the space she’d already designated for Seven’s alcove. She sighed again and turned back, pressing the hypospray to her neck. She pulled back the covers, racing the fast acting sedative. Within moments she’d sunk into a heavy sleep.

 

 

  
The trio had scaled all the way up to the ledge leading to the cave. The mouth was inky dark before them, looking more like a black hole than a planetary phenomenon. They scanned and rescanned to no avail. Seven had tried every permutation her Borg synapses would allow but the shield before the cave appeared solid and impenetrable. They were at an impasse. Phaser fire had failed to disrupt it and they had little else at their disposal. Seven desperately wanted to make contact with Kathryn. She had not adequately adapted to the distraction their separation was causing. In fact, every third thought Seven had was of Kathryn.

  
Tom was livid, all hot-faced and frustrated. He was tired of this whole stinking planet. Of course they couldn’t get in! Why would it ever be easy? He paced in a circle kicking his feet across the hard baked of the cliff. As he moved, he stirred up a fine red dust that rose like a cloud and stuck to any surface it touched. Seven and Tuvok both watched as the red brown cloud drifted slowly towards the invisible forcefield. It shimmered as it made contact, creating an iridescent outline. The effect only lasted a few seconds before the dust continued to shift on its path back to the ground.

  
“Did you see that?” Tuvok asked Seven.

  
“I did. There is a seam. Just to right of the cave. We may be able to exploit the weakness there,” Seven replied, already replaying the memory.

  
“You find something?” Tom’s voice betrayed his hopefulness.

  
“There appears to be a slight interruption in the shielding. When you disturbed the soil, it became visible for a moment.”

  
Tom began to kick at the rocky cliff and just as the dust began to shift, he took quick aim with his phaser and fired. Nothing happened.

  
Frustration was overwhelming Seven’s logic as well. Watching the futility of their weapons pushed her over the line of reason. Without thinking, she charged forward and thrust her metal-tipped fingers into the microscopic seam.

  
An energy unlike any Seven had ever felt before, surged through her, throwing her back from the cave entrance. She saw Kathryn’s face for a split second before everything went black.

 

 


	7. Chapter Seven

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Friday night update! 
> 
> An unexpected appearance!
> 
> Thanks for the continued support. It really does make me work a lot faster. 
> 
> Hope you’re staying cool, this heat wave is no joke!

 

 

 

“Katrine?” Seven questioned. “Kathryn?”

 

“Oui, to both I suppose,” the redhead smirked despite herself. “I am glad to see you. When we failed to make contact—well never mind that now. Are you ok?” She was dressed as Katrine on a mission, in a black fisherman’s sweater and her dark canvas trousers.

 

Seven smiled softly back before replying, “I am—operating within acceptable parameters, now that I am able to see you.”

 

Seven, too, was dressed as Anya, a light blue woolen sweater hung loosely over her thin, but well endowed, figure. They seemed to be back in ancient France but there was something not quite right. It surrounded them with an invisible dread though nothing specifically seemed to be triggering it. It was all but overwhelmed by the sheer joy the two women shared in just seeing one another.

 

“When did you become such a flirt!” Kathryn’s cheeks began to flush. Dream or not, Seven could always hit her buttons. “But seriously, darling, why were you not able to disarm the shielding?”

 

“I was able but I—I am damaged. Were you not able to take control from Voyager?” Seven arched her eyebrow. Kathryn Janeway seldom failed in her objectives.

 

“No, we were not able to reach the moon. There’s more at play here but our scans have still shown nothing. And what do you mean DAMAGED!” Kathryn shouted, clearly shaken. Kathryn Janeway was not a screamer by nature, at least not outside of her bedroom.

 

“I tried to prise open some troubling shield with my Borg technology but while I was successful, the feedback knocked me unconscious and drained my reserves. I need to regenerate,” Seven looked up suddenly, meeting Kathryn’s panicked glare, “I need you,” she said so quietly that Janeway had to strain her ears to catch it.

 

“I’m here darling. And it sounds like we have to get you home stat!”

 

“Our scans have revealed massive energy fluctuations but we cannot reach the source, it seems to move away from us the closer we get. It is curious. And infuriating.” Seven’s cheeks flushed with her quick burst of anger. There were few equations Seven could not solve and she could not allow this to be one of them. Her eyes scanned their surroundings and she was disturbed at the shelled out frame of a house now visible behind Janeway’s back.

 

Shocked that she had failed to notice, Seven took a step backwards as her mouth fell open. Kathryn’s eyes followed Seven’s and she soon fell agape as well.

 

“There seems to be an anomaly here as well,” Seven said, fighting to regain her composure.

 

The frame of the house suddenly shook, rumbling ominously behind them before it began to erupt in flames, tiny explosions rippling out to where Seven and Kathryn stood staring. Seven grabbed Kathryn’s arm and pulled her forward and away from the fire.

 

“You’re hurt Seven!” Kathryn yelled but Seven didn’t slow until there was finally some distance between them and the blaze. Then a sound more disturbing began making both women jump. It was the sound of machine guns, ack-acks, anti-aircraft barrages and small arms fire. Katrine was now looking up at Anya. The nazis had them now. Katrine reached once more for Anya’s hand but this time her fingers slipped. She looked up but Anya was gone, slipped through her fingers, and she began to howl her disappointment.

 

 

 

 

  
Kathryn awoke in a sweaty heap, her own screaming echoing in her head. Seven was hurt!

 

She tore out of bed ignoring the fact the chronometer read 0515. She was on autopilot, washing and dressing without thinking a single thought about it. Her only thought was of Seven and how it had become critical that she reach her. If she had to land Voyager to do so, then so be it. So inflamed was the fiery haired captain that she even skipped her morning coffee in her efforts to rush her own bridge.

 

The coffee-skipping was a mistake she realized as her head was throbbing by the time she reached the turbo lift. It was when she exited the lift at the mess hall, that she finally realized what time it was. She thought of calling a red alert. Their people were in trouble on the surface! Or were they? It could have just been a dream, couldn’t it? Her sleep deprived brain was pumping with adrenaline and short on logic. It could have just been a dream but she knew it wasn’t. She could feel Seven’s distress from orbit.

 

Kathryn Janeway had kept them alive all these years in the Delta Quadrant by following her gut, she wasn’t about to stop now. Coffee in hand, she charged away from the deserted mess hall and headed for her bridge.

 

She called the Red Alert as soon as her feet left the lift, relieving Ensign Jenkins of the big chair. The captain took her seat, narrowing her eyes at the viewscreen. Only pieces of a plan flitted through her mind, the foremost was to land the ship. But even her fragmented mind said that was still the wrong move. Instead, she decided to take her aggressions out on the little moon. If they could get through that shielding then they could likely disrupt the planets shielding as well. If what Seven had said was true then this was their best shot. Chakotay barreled onto the bridge just as she gave the order to fire a barrage of photon torpedoes at the shielding of the moon.

 

“Captain!” Chakotay was desperate. He looked half crazed and had clearly been asleep.

 

“Captain! Wait!”

 

But it was too late. Janeway paused, glaring at her first officer. She ignored him and turned her eyes back to the viewscreen just in time to see the first torpedo glance off the shielding. It was followed by the second. Janeway was about to turn away in disgust when the third torpedo found its mark. Instead of just disrupting the shielding, the entirety of the moon itself glowed an ominous violet before it exploded with such force that Voyager was thrown nearly out of orbit. When Janeway found her feet again, she looked up at what was left of the moon. It was a curious, curling cloud, nothing solid at all. As it twisted it formed the shape of the letter Q before dissipating into nothingness.

 

The red alert klaxons blared but there was nothing left in front of them. Just an iridescent shimmer that was quickly disappearing. An image of a soap bubble flitted across Janeway’s mind’s eye. She couldn’t believe it, not here, not now!

 

“Q!” She bellowed.

 

The bridge crew, including her first officer, looked nervously at one another. Clearly their captain had finally lost her marbles.

 

“Q, I know it’s you! Show yourself!” Kathryn Janeway felt as insane as her crew believed her to be. For a tense moment nothing happened. No one even breathed, the anticipation choking them all. Just as Chakotay was about to pull her aside, there was a faint popping sound and Chakotay jumped backwards.

 

Q was suddenly standing between him and the Captain.

 

“Kathy! I was wondering when you would call for me!” Q beamed, looking eternally pleased with himself. “You see, I could not interfere on my own behalf, but on yours, well here I am.”

 

“You had better explain, and quickly too, just what the hell is going on here!” Her heart was pounding but there was no way she was backing down from this. There was another pop and she was standing in her ready room facing a smirking Q, dressed of course in command red to rival her own.

 

“I need to get my people off the surface of that planet, now can you help me do that?”

 

“Not exactly. But I think you’ll find that your Borg has managed to crash the shields, so to speak.”

 

“Seven. Her name is Seven—

 

“I know that. And you’re right, she is in trouble. But then we all seem to be.”

 

Janeway thought she might just implode facing him. Her blood was pounding behind her eyes and she desperately wanted to hit something.

  
“What kind of trouble?” she managed to ask through clenched teeth.

 

“It’s more of a misunderstanding really. Growing pains perhaps?”

 

“Q,” the captain rumbled dangerously.

 

“It’s Junior. He’s chosen a mate. But the Continuum, well they don’t approve. Something about a blight or the end of the universe or whatever. Suffice it to say that you’ve stumbled into a bit of a war zone.”

 

 

 


	8. Chapter Eight

 

 

The sun was beginning to rise when Seven finally opened her eyes. Tom was kneeling beside her, spent hypospray still in his hand.

  
“Lieutenant,” she said hoarsely. “I am damaged.” A panic was rising in Seven as her internal chronometer registered she had been unconscious nearly eighteen hours.

 

“Yeah, you really took one out of my playbook there, I think,” Tom was above her. She may have been damaged, but not enough to not quirk her enhanced eye at him.

 

“I—I will-“ Seven was struggling to right herself. Her human systems seemed ok but her implants were not performing correctly. “I will adapt,” she finally managed.

 

“I don’t think you sh—

 

Seven was on her feet before Tom could finish the sentence. Her vision was not clear and her head ached. She wobbled slightly and leaned heavily onto Tom.

 

“Look,” he said trying to reason with her, using the same tact he’d take with B’Elanna. He hoped Seven would be more rational than his half-Klingon partner. “You’re definitely hurt, but your stunt there disabled the primary shielding. We managed to access the rest of it from inside the cave. Our scans are reading both signs of the shuttles as well as various life-signs from further inside the cave system,” Tom did his best to steer the taller Seven back to the cot she had just sprung from. He’d set up the shelter the night before with Tuvok’s help. It wasn’t much but it did hold three cots and two crates of rations and supplies.

 

“Sit down, please, there were some pretty heavy analgesics in that hypo, you’re still pretty banged up.”

 

Seven thought of fighting him for a moment, but her head ached, and she sunk heavily back onto the cot.

 

“Have you been able to make contact with Voyager?” She asked after a long moment.

“Not yet. And still no signs of other life,” Tom said wearily. “Hopefully Tuvoc’s recon will give us more of a clue.”

 

  
It was still early and Tom had been eating a ration bar when Seven had begun to stir. He resumed eating it, tossing another to Seven. She caught it with her human hand and tore into with her Borg one. It was gone in seconds and she was about to ask Tom for another, when her enhanced hearing prickled to alertness.

  
They heard a muffled crash from inside the cave. Tom leapt to his feet but Seven found her limbs to be heavy and awkward. She barely stood as the form of Tuvok emerged in a cloud of dust and smoke.

  
“We have a problem,” was all he managed to say before collapsing to the ground.

 

 

 

Tom rushed to him as Seven hobbled in his wake. Tuvok’s skin was ashen and he was unconscious. He had no signs of trauma, just some scrapes and bruises. A tricorder fell from his hand and Seven reached for it as Tom continued to scan the inert form of the Vulcan. Seven looked at the readings but they seemed incongruous. They seemed unbelievable. Unless none of this was real. Which was equally unbelievable. It confounded logic, Seven thought as she watched Tom trying in vain to revive Tuvok.

 

  
Seven grabbed a tricorder and attempted to scan the vicinity. She’d tried with her Borg technology but her nanoprobes were far too low. She could make out only a little more now using the tricorder then when the shielding was still in place. She resisted the urge to hurl the useless instrument as well as a stronger urge to crush it in her metal enhanced palm. Instead, she knelt down next to Tom and Tuvok, feeling both dizzy and futile.

  
Then it happened.

 

Her comm badge chirped. And then chirped again. It started as static but slowly the crackle gave way to words.

 

“Can you read me? Seven?” It was Kathryn. Voyager. Seven slapped her badge so hard she was sure to have a bruise.

  
“Ka—Captain!” Seven hailed back.

Tom’s badge chirped as well. Then Tuvok’s. But instead of an answering hail, there was a shimmer instead. When they rematerialized, Seven found herself struggling to stand up just as Kathryn Janeway appeared before her.

  
“Seven!”

  
Janeway moved to catch the falling Seven and they crashed backwards under Seven’s greater momentum. Janeway regained her footing as her back hit the console, Seven’s weight shifting inappropriately across her torso.

  
“Oh she has a name! Whowee Kathy, I should have known!”

  
Janeway’s cheeks glowed scarlet as she shifted Seven so that she was supporting the taller woman with just an arm around her ridiculously tiny waist. Both women looked up to glare at the irritating form of Q standing behind the transporter console. The captain ignored him, aside from a single death stare, as she ordered her crew about.

  
“Beam Tuvok directly to Sick Bay,” she barked. “Seven too,” then she turned her face and whispered, “I’ll be right behind you.”

  
“Tom, go find B’Elanna in Engineering and then meet me in my ready room in an hour.”

  
Q watched the humans scuttle and shuttle around him. He was pleased, more than he would admit, with the Captain’s choice of Seven as a partner, not the least because he knew Commander Chuckles must be green with jealousy. As the crowd thinned, the omnipotent being reached forward and grabbed the Captain by her elbow. She’d been about to head to Sick Bay to check on Seven, she didn’t appreciate the hold up.

  
“Q! Really what is it?”

  
“Nice choice,” he smirked. Then with a pop he was gone.

  
The Captain hollered a few choice expletives into the now empty room before lighting off for Sick Bay.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Slowly we make our way back to the shore from whence we came....
> 
> Thanks for sticking with me and with this story as it rambles along at its own pace. I’ve been juggling writing time around extra parental care-taking duties. (Dad had a double knee replacement a week ago) So writing time has been sparse but he’s out of hospital and doing well. 
> 
> I am immensely grateful and humbled by all the great feedback I get from you all. It’s truly amazing and I can’t thank you enough. So cheers!


	9. Chapter Nine

 

  
The Doctor ordered Seven to regenerate immediately. With any luck, eight hours would be a sufficient enough cycle to recover. Janeway would have preferred her to be present for this meeting but she wasn’t fighting the EMH on this. As it was, Tom and B’Elanna were seated across from her desk, Chakotay was staring out the window, and Neelix had just delivered her a fresh pot of coffee. It was only noon but she felt like she’d been awake for a week.

  
Tuvok was stable but still unconscious in Sick Bay. The Doctor was staying with him, tuning into the meeting via the video comm link. Whatever energy source they’d encountered on the planet was unlike anything he’d ever seen before and he was wary to leave Tuvok. Knowing Q was involved at least explained the previously inexplicable anomalies of the casualties. There was also still no word of the lost away teams, only Tuvok might know anything further but, for the moment, he wasn’t talking.

  
The Captain had gathered them more to brainstorm than anything else. They had so little information it was hard to do much more. She’d really hoped that Q would appear. She had to pinch herself for even thinking that but it was true. She needed his ever vexing help. She thought over her previous meetings with the Q and a shiver ran up her spine. They had seldom been anything but disastrous and this was shaping up the same.

  
With a pop, Q appeared, sprawling across her long couch, looking far more relaxed than anyone should with a red alert still blaring. He smiled at her as he plucked a bunch of grapes from thin air. The Captain swiftly regretted ever thinking he could be at all useful and glared at him full force.

The bickering began almost immediately. It seemed that everyone had a drastically different take on how to proceed. The only thing they agreed upon was that this was all Q’s fault. Though Q was quick remind them all it had been Chakotay who had deemed the planet safe for shore leave.

“I mean, any primate would have noticed those fluctuations, am I wrong Kathy?” Q continued to taunt the commander. It had become very clear that they were going nowhere fast.

 

 

 

 

  
The cave was dark, beyond dark. He couldn’t see a thing. He could feel a blast of icy air surrounding him as he moved slowly forward. The ground beneath his feet was sandy but even, moving ever so slightly uphill. His feet were loud as they scraped along, following the path of the cold air. The path began to curve and Tuvok followed it, his hands sliding silently against one of the dusty walls. Without warning, the path ended in a step. Tuvok pitched forward, falling upwards?

  
The darkness dissipated, and Tuvok blinked into a brilliant golden light. It was as blinding as the dark. But as his eyes adjusted, he realized he was at the edge of a great chasm. Logic failed as Tuvok got to his feet, now able to see the vast structures below him.

On one side there were the lost shuttles looking banged up but intact. There were several structures of stone lining one side of the valley. They had dark windows and seemed to absorb all the light that reached there. Standing opposite was a wide, paved road and then what appeared to be dense patch of forest.

Tuvok scanned the valley from his perch. His tricorder chirped and cheeped, displaying the bio signatures of the six lost crewman. There were also other electrical anomalies but the scans could not decipher their signatures. He needed to get closer to get a better reading but as he approached the cliff’s edge, he found himself under fire. Charges shaped like lightning bolts blasted past him. He ducked but too late. The bolt glanced his shoulder but it was enough, he could feel his consciousness fading. He fell back into the reality of the cave, the pitch black enveloping him as he ran with the last of his strength to the only source of light.

 

 

Tuvok awoke in Sick Bay. His right arm was in a sling and he had no idea how it had gotten that way. He did recall the bolt of energy that had broken it, shattered it, from the feel of it in the sling. His Vulcan logic was at war with the rest of the memory. The chasm, the valley, were impossible. There was no way the geography could produce that effect. Clearly one part was not real. But the magnitude of that effect was more than most known species was capable. It was not until Tuvok spied Q on the video comm link that his impeccable dialectical reasoning was finally sated.

 

“Tuvok, old friend, it’s good to see you!” The Captain beamed from the screen, relief easing ever so slightly across her fine freckled features. “As you can see, we have a guest.”

  
“It was the only logical conclusion, Captain.” Vulcans don’t smirk but Tuvok was giving and awfully good impression of it. “I was able to see where the shuttles were hidden. Likely the missing crew as well. But the technology at play is unfathomable.”

  
“Perhaps to you, Vulcan,” Q interjected, sparing no snip. “It is merely a dimensional warping, a trick of sorts, and unfortunately a favorite of Junior’s. Good job locating him, by the way, he’s quite good at covering his trail.”

  
“He must get that from his mother,” Janeway intoned lowly but the barb hit its mark.

  
“Yes, well, his mother has taken his side in all of this.”

  
“Really, last you told me, she’d disowned the boy,” the captain continued to needle him.

  
“Well Aunt Kathy did wonders! In fact, I think I could blame you for making him so terribly decent and honorable. I know he didn’t get that from me!”

  
“Touché. So then what’s this honorable Q done to bring the wrath of the Continuum down on his head…and ours?”

  
“I told you, he fell in love. With a human.” Q actually looked abashed, but whether he was genuinely embarrassed or merely trying to squelch his human prejudice, it was impossible to say.

  
“A human, and the Continuum is still pretty anti-human I take it?”

  
“Maybe more so now. It’s clear they feel threatened. And perhaps they are. You see, Junior has gotten the girl, well, knocked up. And the Continuum can’t seem to decide whether the hybrid offspring will dilute the Q or destroy it. They were kind of vague there. But they weren’t vague when they rolled out the troops and put a bounty on their heads.”

  
“Wow,” was all Janeway said at first. No one else dared speak yet. “So when you propositioned me, why didn’t they come after you?”

  
“Well, I suppose Junior had slightly better luck than I,” Q smirked.

  
“Or they knew you’d fail with me?”

  
“Does that really matter now? We’re light years beyond that!”

  
“Fine then, what are you proposing we do?”

  
“It seems Junior has more support than I ever did. A handful have joined with him, including his mother. But they’re no match. And now that you’ve stumbled onto their hiding spot, I imagine the Continuum won’t be far behind.”

  
With a loud clap, the emergency lights flickered and klaxons stopped. A loud, baritone voice boomed out, filling Voyager with every syllable.

“How right you are,” the voice laughed.

“You don’t know EVERYTHING!” Q yelled, but whether he was saying this to the Continuum or the crew of Voyager, was anyone’s guess because with a series of pops, Q was gone and the remaining senior staff found themselves transported to the cliff’s edge.

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Back on caretaking duty here so I thought I’d try and post before the vortex catches up with me. Thanks for the continued likes and comments. They always make my day.


	10. Chapter Ten

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is dedicated to anyone who has ever left a comment on a story. This here is the power of those comments. I wasn’t supposed to work on this one today but I’ve been getting so much great feedback that I had to reward it. So thank you to you commenters, you got my attention. Cheers!

 

  
Seven was yanked from her regeneration cycle. She was extremely disoriented and disturbed to find herself back on the cliff she’d so recently escaped. This time though, Kathryn stood only a few feet from her. The rest of the senior staff were there, everyone save Tuvok. Before they could get their bearings, they heard a voice emanating from deep inside the cave. They had no choice but to follow the call. The captain ordered phasers out as they moved slowly into the mouth of the cave.

  
“You should still be regenerating,” Janeway hissed, trying in vain to make her wifely nagging sound more like a captain’s order. She’d allowed Tom to lead the group forward and she hung back a pace to walk with Seven.

  
“I was,” came the clipped reply. “This was no more in my control than yours. But I am glad to see you sooner.”

  
“Flirt,” Kathryn all but whispered. Then the command mask finally slid over her features. She forced her voice to steady itself. Seven knew this was essentially very good acting but Kathryn was born to play the role of Captain. “But are you feeling ok?”

  
“My nanoprobes have been refreshed. I will need to regenerate more soon but I am performing within acceptable parameters currently,” Seven stated, allaying Kathryn and allowing her to fully assume her rank.

 

The cave was inky black, their torches only illuminating a meter or so in front of them. The darkness was absorbing any light they threw at it. The brighter the torch, the dimmer it appeared. They could see almost nothing in the blackness. Only the dripping deep of the cave walls gave any sense they were under a mountain. It felt like they could be lost in the black hole light. Janeway was about to call a halt to regroup when a flash of light appeared far ahead of them.

  
The flash was actually a pinhole of light and it grew exponentially as they crawled closer. The source of the light became blindingly clear and they quickly found themselves on the edge of another cliff. Below lay an oasis, what surely must be a mirage. It looked like eden. The crew froze around their captain, waiting to be told there next order.

  
“There are steps,” the same voice, sounding very much like Junior, echoed over them.

  
A quick survey of the edge did reveal a stone step hidden so elegantly against the rocky cliff they never would have noticed it.

 

Carefully they followed the carved steps which switched back every fifty feet or so. The slope was steep and they were descending it quickly. They did not have much of a plan but it didn’t seem to matter. It was clear Junior was aware of their presence, even wanted it, because he could have blasted them to oblivion with the snap of his fingers. He was nowhere to be seen though and when they reached the bottom steps, they were forced to reconvene. There were four separate paths but the Captain did not want to split up her makeshift team. There were still eight crew members here, somewhere, and they had to start with finding them.

 

The Captain moved to the front of their pack, leading them slowly up the first path that led to the shuttles. Tom and B’Elanna were scanning like crazy but Janeway seemed to be listening for her clues. Seven eyed her curiously but said nothing.

 

“These shuttles are fine!” Tom exclaimed, breaking Janeway’s concentration. “I wonder if the Flyer is too?”

 

Before he could wonder, a figure appeared before them, blocking the path. They were backlit and for a second, appeared like nothing but shadow. Moving forward, they could just make out the form of a human looking male dressed in familiar Starfleet command red. Junior had grown up.

 

Upon closer inspection, he looked even more like his father except where Q was clean shaven, Junior now sported a nearly-clipped beard. Gone were his boyish features, replaced by something harder beneath the surface. The glint of trouble still danced in his now twinkling eyes.

 

“Aunt Kathy!” He said as he walked up to her and surprised her with a crushing hug. “I’m sorry you got dragged into all this. It was never my intention.”

 

“Well here we are,” the captain replied, biting back the extreme annoyance she was feeling. “And I am glad to see you looking so well and grown up! I hear congratulations are in order.”

 

Junior’s face flushed scarlet as he began to beam.

 

“Well there’s a lot to catch up on isn’t there?” Junior stated, clapping his hands together. “And before you ask, your crew mates are safe and eager to be reunited with you. We’ll head there first.”

 

Junior led them forward, up the second path to a long building that seemed to be carved from a single tree. He waved his palm in circles at a random knot in the wood and an invisible door slid open to reveal a space far larger than it could possibly be.

 

“It’s bigger on the inside,” Junior laughed before disappearing with a pop.

 

Janeway blinked at his sudden disappearance then at the vast hall that lay before them. She blinked again and was suddenly surrounded by her eight missing crew members, Harry Kim at the front of the pack. They all appeared to be in one piece, and Janeway felt a surge of relief that she knew was premature.

 

The reunion was brief though, they’d barely said hello when a huge blast shook the ground all around them. There was another blast, then another. Junior appeared again and with a pop transported them all to a makeshift keep in the deepest part of the cave. It was much darker here than the valley floor. Their eyes adjusted slowly but they quickly noticed one thing, they were not alone.

 

 

 


	11. Chapter Eleven

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for your patience. It’s been hard getting time to write lately but here we are, crashing towards the end.

 

 

 

 

They were surrounded by heavy stone walls that formed a wide circle. The shape and form resembled that of an ancient castle and it looked every bit as fortified. There were about a dozen people already in the space and behind them, the walls were stacked with shelves and racks piled high with every kind of weaponry ever imagined. There were plasma rifles next to cross bows next to something labeled ‘photonic cannon’. It was a veritable wonderland of warfare but Janeway wondered if it would really matter. Her last jaunt into a war torn Continuum had only ended successfully when her crew, aided by Junior’s mother, had been able to take them by surprise. This time would be different and no less dangerous.

 

  
The cry of a newborn baby broke the stunned silence as another volley shook the walls of their stronghold. The baby was held by its mother, a striking human woman in her early twenties. Her dark brown eyes were completely focused on the infant. Janeway noticed that Junior had appeared next to them and was making googly eyes at the squawking bundle.

 

  
“Well Congratulations seem to be overdue!” The captain said to the couple that had created the beautiful baby as well as the entire mess before them.

 

  
“Thank you,” Junior looked up, beaming. “Her name is Qi. And this is Lyssa, my partner.”

 

  
The stunning woman looked up at this and her warm eyes finally met Janeway’s. She smiled as her dark hair fell forward. Her copper colored skin seemed to glow in the low light of the cavern. But her voice was the most surprising. Soft as a breeze, she welcomed the captain in melodic tones, her lilting accent unplaceable.

 

  
“I have heard much of you, Captain, and I believe it is you I should thank. You and your crew. Without your help, I doubt Junior would have ever found his way to me.”

 

  
Before the captain could reply, another volley shook the cavern and Q appeared with a pop. He snapped his fingers, trying to return to where he’d been, but nothing happened. His powers fizzled before his eyes.

 

  
This sudden appearance did not produce a calming effect and suddenly many voices were reverberating off the stone walls. Janeway resorted to emergency tactics to reign in the angry shouting. She whistled and it wasn’t just any whistle. She placed two fingers on her lips and produced a sound so shrill and piercing that it momentarily silenced every cacophonous shout. She took the opportunity of the sound vacuum to press Q for some answers.

 

  
“You had better explain to all of us, just what the hell is going on here!” Her eyes flicked from Q to his various offspring and finally settled on the lady Q, noting her annoyance from her pursed lips. It was she who answered as the boys looked sheepishly at Janeway.

 

  
“It seems that the Continuum would rather destroy rather than evolve. It’s as simple as that. And Qi terrifies them. She is both human and Q. Which means she has both powers and mortality, a combination that would certainly change the foundations of the Continuum itself. But instead of adapting, they would rather eradicate us all from time and space. I fear they have the capacity to do it.”

 

  
“But you have some means of defense,” Janeway questioned in full view of the arsenal.

 

  
“They have so much more,” Q whined. “And they don’t listen to good reason!”

 

  
“We have one contingent holding them off, but as you can hear, they are not succeeding,” Junior chimed in. “But we have no means of attack. And nowhere else to hide.”

 

  
“Well I feel partly responsible for all this, somehow,” Janeway stated flatly. “If we hadn’t stumbled on this place, you may very well have been safe indefinitely.”

 

  
The walls shook again, this time showering them in dust.

 

  
“They wouldn’t have,” the disembodied voice boomed from somewhere outside the cavern.

 

  
“Colonel!” Janeway half-gasped, finally recognizing the voice. “I request parlay!”

 

  
The walls shook harder then suddenly stopped.

 

  
“We are not pirates, good captain, but as my idiot brethren have involved you yet again, I will grant you one chance to work your magical logic before I am forced to eradicate this here disaster.”

 

  
Then, with a pop, the Captain disappeared leaving nothing but anxious confusion in her wake.

 

 

 

Janeway blinked her eyes but her surroundings were still unbelievable. She was in a sparsely decorated room the held a large map on one wall. It was littered with sparkling pins that appeared to move on their own. On another wall, there was a portrait of a Q she did not recognize. The uncarpeted, wooden floor echoed under the heels of her boots. There was only one other being in silent room. Colonel Q faced her over a wide oak desk. Behind him lay and expansive window that looked out directly into the vacuum of space. It was a disturbing sight.

 

  
“Captain Janeway, we meet again.”

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Your comments and kudos have kept me going the last couple weeks. Writing time has been scarce but your kind words keep me working whenever I can. I can’t say thanks enough for that!


	12. Chapter Twelve

  
The cavern once again reverberated with a multitude of voices. This time, there was no quick end to the echoing shouts. But then Qi added her tiny, tinny, squawk to the din and the other voices began to fade.

  
“Just what are we supposed to do, wait?! That’s crazy,” Q pouted.

  
“Well it sure see that Captain Janeway holds a bit more sway than you do, darling,” Lady Q’s words dripped acid and Q bristled into silence, his ego bruised. “Besides, our powers suddenly don’t work, they have us trapped, what exactly would you have us do?”

  
“I have faith in Aunt Kathy, she certainly has run circles around you, Pop,” Junior smirked. “In fact, she is the most incredible human I have ever encountered, I mean next to Lyssa of course.”

  
“I concur,” Seven said quietly. She hadn’t mean to speak at all but this sudden burst of unfamiliar anxiety had left her off balance. She was terrified for Kathryn and at the same time felt completely futile. Looking around at the faces surrounding her, she could see they were feeling much of the same thing. “As infuriating as waiting may be, Captain Janeway deserves our faith, she always finds a way.”

  
“Except out of the Delta Quadrant!” Q quipped, looking for a fight.

  
“Something you could have helped out with! Besides I never cared for that Caretaker. He was one of your old drinking buddies!” Lady Q was just warming up.

 

The voices began to rise again and no one seemed to notice Lyssa inching backwards, away from the escalating fray. No one but Seven, who had been staring at the tiny baby since the moment Kathryn had disappeared. She moved to shield Lyssa, helping them to a a quieter corner where there was a low bench set into the stone.

  
“Thank you,” Lyssa whispered, though it was not necessary with the vocal aerobics bouncing off the walls.

  
“You are welcome,” Seven said stiffly, her eyes still focused on the now gurgling Qi.

  
“I think it might help if I feed her, she gets very cranky when she’s hungry, do you mind?”

  
“I do not mind. I too get cranky when I am undernourished.” Seven’s eyes were still focused on the babe as Lyssa worked her free hand around and unfastened the top two clasps of her tunic. Baby Qi realized quickly that it was lunchtime and instinctively reached for the nipple suddenly before her. Seven suddenly caught herself staring directly at Lyssa’s bare breast as she felt the heat rising in her cheeks. She also heard Kathryn’s voice hiss her name somewhere in the recesses of her memory logs and she quickly turned her face from both mother and child. Instead she looked out at the bickering humans and Qs, all wanting desperately to be able to act, all completely unable to do so.

 

 

 

“I just don’t see why you insist on being so intransigent about it! They have hurt no one!” Janeway fought to control her voice but it was becoming increasingly difficult.

  
“But they are. The very existence of that child will change the very fiber of the Continuum,” the colonel’s voice was even but Janeway could hear the ire building as he stretched out every syllable. “This mere mortal will possess an infinite power, an infinite awareness surely beyond its capacities!”

“You don’t know that! In fact even you don’t know how it will play out. That’s why you’re so terrified of Qi!” The good captain had enough. “That child, as you call her, may very well be the salvation of the Q. She will surely possess a perspective different than your own. And her powers may be wholly different than any you have ever seen. Why not try and be a little patient? As you are, clearly, omnipotent, what could that hurt?”

  
“It’s the precedent, my dear captain, one will beget another and another. It is the human way it would seem. Best to nip it in the bud, I say,” The colonel leaned forward and struck a match lighting what appeared to be a corncob pipe. Janeway wrinkled her nose at the smoke but the ancient odor of the cherry tobacco reminded her of memory she couldn’t quite grasp. She was so distracted by the scent, she forgot to be offended.

  
The tobacco seemed to relax the Colonel a bit and after a long moment, he tipped his head back and exhaled a series of perfect smoke rings.

  
“I may be Q, but I am not entirely without heart. I can see some logic in your arguments, not enough to be convinced solely on their merits however, but I will offer you an alternative, if you will. A challenge of sorts.”

  
“A challenge?” Janeway narrowed her eyes at him. “What, like a game of chess?”

  
“Everyone plays chess! It’s an easy choice. But I am not an easy Q,” he said rising to his booted feet. “I challenge you, Captain Kathryn Janeway, to one game of American style billiards, I hear you have some talent there. The wager, of course, is for the lives of the child, your crew, and my brethren. What say you?”

  
“Well, since you put it like that, I guess I accept,” the captain replied, her voice gravely low and just barely hiding the red alert level panic surging through her veins.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the kudos and comments. Storming towards the end now. Thanks for helping me keep it going!


	13. Chapter Thirteen

 

 

 

With a snap of fingers, they were transported to a sizable arena with a single, red felted pool table as the center of attention. The rows of seats were filled with Q and a singular roar rose from the air. Janeway’s eyes surveyed the space slowly finally spotting a gilded cage hanging suspended just behind her. She was sickened and yet unsurprised to see everyone from inside the cavern trapped inside the shining cube. Seven stood pressed to one side, clearly attempting to shield both mother and child with her own thin limbs. Her eyes were locked on Janeway. Even from the ground, Janeway could see the fires burning in Seven’s electric eyes and she wondered she what Seven might be capable of doing were she truly unleashed. She didn’t have time to complete the thought, though, as a voice suddenly boomed over the entire arena.

  
“Welcome, welcome, welcome!” The Colonel’s voice reverberated. “We have here today a wager match. Starfleet’s Captain Janeway has wagered her life as well as the lives of her crew and our rebel brethren against my skills at billiards. If she wins, they live, if not,” he made a choking sound that was both disturbing and disgusting at such a high volume.

  
“Rack ‘em up!”

  
Pressed in the middle of the cage, Tom Paris looked over at B’Elanna and breathed a tiny sigh of relief. Janeway was the most astounding poolshark he’d ever encountered. She’d somehow hustled this, he knew it. B’Elanna, too, seemed to relax infinitesimally. She craned her neck around to try and meet Seven’s eyes but the blonde was singularly focused on her captain.

  
The redhead was trying her damndest to concentrate. It took all of her willpower to tear her eyes from that cage. She didn’t have the luxury of freezing up, her only choice was to put the golden cage and all its inhabitants out her mind. It was an impossible action but she had to try. Tucked behind her heaviest command mask, Janeway steeled herself and lifted her cue stick. She’d won the toss, it was her break and she scanned the angles of the table as she slowly chalked up her cue-tip. The light blue dust clung to her fingers that she absently wiped against the rough fabric of her uniform pants. The captain took a long, slow breath before leaning into the table and took careful aim.

  
The break was good, great actually. She’d sunk the five, the eleven, and the fifteen balls. A tiny trickle of relief ran down her spine but she ignored it.

  
“Well, I guess I’ll take stripes,” she announced to both the Colonel and the crowd. Dramatic music blared momentarily as Janeway moved to take her second shot. She managed a bank shot around the two and sunk the twelve in the far corner pocket. She bit down a smile as she could feel the Colonel’s anger rising.

  
This slight bit of cockiness went to her head though, and her third shot jerked slightly off line. She missed sinking the thirteen by several inches but she’d left Q in the weeds so at least there was that. The air reverberated with the heightening tones once again it this time they only served to peak the Captain’s growing anxiety.

  
“Impressive, missie,” He hissed out of the earshot of the crowd. “It seems I may have underestimated you.”

  
“We’ll just see Colonel. But there’s no backing out now,” for me either, she thought, trying her best to keep her voice steady and a little cocky.

  
“Wouldn’t dream of it, little lady,” he winked and without looking, sunk the four ball in an impossible bank. He sunk the two as well, drawing within a ball of the lead. Janeway could feel the sweat building on her upper lip. Her pulse was pounding. The Colonel aimed his next shot but his cue jerked upwards unexpectedly, sending his shot awry, and it fell right into the middle pocket. A scratch.

  
Janeway didn’t dare look back at the cage as she plucked the matte white ball from the netted pocket. She knew the sight of Seven would only make her heart pound even harder and she wasn’t entirely sure that was humanly possible. Instead, she focused on the many different shots she could take.

  
Re-chalking her cue, she decided on a straight shot to put the fourteen in the corner pocket. The angle would put her dangerously close to the eight-ball but she had to risk it. She leveled her cue and held her breath. The shot was strong and true but it brushed the eight making it wobble worryingly before it suddenly stopped moving just shy of the pocket. The fourteen dropped its green stripes silently into the corner. With a satisfying crack of ricocheting balls, she cleared the nine ball. That left two balls, just the ten and thirteen, between her and number eight.

The ten lay trapped between the one and the six. The thirteen was sandwiched in front of the corner pocket, literally behind the eight-ball.

  
Janeway was sweating freely. These were impossible shots, impossible odds.

 

_Impossible is a word humans use far too much._

 

Seven’s voice was clear in her head. She let herself concentrate on it for a moment.

 

_Let me help you._

 

Captain Janeway was not one to step aside from a challenge but she would certainly take any advantage offered.

 

_How?_

 

For a second, a shiver rippled the entire length of her spine. Her fingers tingled strangely and she found she could suddenly see with a startling acuity. She didn’t question it. Instead she took the first impossible shot.

 

  
Holding her breath, she pulled back her cue. She closed her eyes and let it fly, not opening them until she heard the smack of the balls rebounding. She just barely saw the ten ball disappear. Just the dreaded, tacky, orange-striped thirteen ball to go. But this one had no shot at all. If she got near it, she would knock in the eight ball first and that would be the ball game and all their lives. If she ceded her shot and tried to kill the Colonel’s shot instead, he would surely punish her by clearing the board.

 

  
Her nerves shook behind the command mask. Even with Seven’s mysterious support, Janeway’s hands shook as she weighed her options. Fear gripped her, threatening to freeze her resolve.

 

_I love you, Kathryn._  

 

Seven’s voice was growing weaker. It was now or never. She took aim, not for the safety shot, but right for the Bermuda Triangle in front of the pocket. The force shook free the thirteen and sent it limping towards the other corner pocket at a snail’s pace. It also loosed the eight ball that was now teetering on the edge of the table, about to drop into the pocket.

 

  
But it did not drop.

 

  
Some force, clearly not the Colonel nor his ilk, and clearly not the trapped Q held powerlessly above, some force held the ball against physics and logic.

 

  
The thirteen ball finally tipped in. Janeway wasted no time in calling her last shot and in the same breath, loosed her cue and sunk the eight.

 

  
She’d won. She’d actually won. The arena stood dumbstruck for a long moment before a roar erupted from the golden cage.

 

  
Janeway dropped the cue and stood dumbly blinking as the now red-faced Colonel swore and snapped his cue over his knee. But true to his word, the cage disappeared, depositing its shaken inhabitants on the ground behind the stunned Captain. Then the arena dissipated and they found themselves back inside the cave, surrounded by its edenic garden as well as the missing shuttles. The only sound they heard was the happy gurgling of the baby Qi.

 

  
“That was some mighty fancy shooting, m’aam. I will remember your skills the next time we meet,” the Colonel’s disembodied voice echoed before disappearing in a hokey chuckle.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Friday!
> 
> Thanks for reading. I’m still exhausted but vacation is only a day away now. Hopefully I’ll be able to get this wrapped up efficiently!


	14. Chapter 14

 

 

  
The captain wasted no time in assembling her people. Everyone was looking a little stunned, and as relieved as Janeway felt, it did not compare to the safety of Voyager. She did not want to waste time getting back. They had been out of communicator range while they were shuttled about the edges of the Continuum and the crew left behind had no knowledge of their whereabouts. She knew they could make contact again once they exited the cave system but she needn’t have rushed. Just as soon as she’d finished her final head count, Q snapped his fingers and they found themselves back aboard Voyager and the shuttles returned to their docks.

 

  
The crew seemed no less for wear, everyone but the EMH anyway. The Doctor had worried himself sick though the crisis had lasted less than eight hours. Tuvok had even tried to get him to meditate in Sick Bay but to no avail. He did not calm down until he stormed the bridge and scanned every member of the away teams, including the Captain herself. Satisfied they were mostly in working order, he recommended rest for them all, especially the captain. It was not until he’d dispensed his diagnosis and prescription that his usual smugness returned. Annoying as it may be, his know-it-all nature was oddly reassuring.

 

  
“I can’t thank you enough, Aunt Kathy,” Junior gushed. His arm around Lyssa, who held Qi in her arms. “We would love it if you would consent to being Qi’s godmother?”

 

  
The good Captain stood abashed but before she could answer Lyssa spoke.

  
“Seven of Nine, we would be honored if you would consent to be the other godmother? You took such care with me and Qi that it’s the least we can do.”

  
Seven, who had taken a step forward, froze, her face flushing scarlet. She was not sure what the appropriate response was. Sensing Seven’s anxiety, Janeway stepped forward, putting an arm around her lover, and said, “We graciously accept, though I hope Qi is slightly less trouble than you were!” She taunted Junior.

 

  
They made their goodbyes then and just as they were about to part, Q stepped forward and faced them.

  
“I think you will like how this story ends,” he said mysteriously. “Thank you, dear crew of Voyager, until we meet again!” And with a pop, three generations of Q disappeared.

 

 

The Captain of Voyager called off the red alert at long last and the ensuing silence was deafening. The events of the last week were just beginning to take their toll as the weary faces all found their way to Janeway. She hadn’t planned to say anything but the staring eyes all around begged for closure. She stood in front of her captains chair, flanked by both Chakotay and Seven. She opened a ship wide comm and turned to face her bridge crew.

  
“I’m not sure what to make of this any more than you are. But I do know we saved some lives, not just our own, and that is worthy of some celebration. I also remember we were long overdue for some shore leave before all this started and we will resume our scans for a suitable planet just as soon as we clear this blasted system,” she turned to Seven and whispered, “What am I forgetting?”

  
“The party,” Seven deadpanned, as much to get Kathryn to roll her eyes as much as actually remind her. And she did roll her eyes, quite ridiculously, to Seven’s poorly disguised amusement.

  
“And last but not least, I would like to invite you all to a wedding! It seems Seven has accepted my proposal and so this is really long overdue. It will be in one week’s time on Holodeck One, please see Neelix and Naomi for the details.

  
“And now, I order all active crew that were planet-side off duty for the next twelve hours. I thank you for all your extraordinary efforts, now set our course for home, Mr. Paris, then log yourself off. Chakotay, you have the bridge. I’ll be in my ready room,” she nodded to both Seven and her first officer.

 

 

 

The chime rang on the ready room door and Janeway looked up before before answering. The door slid open to reveal Seven, who looked as exhausted as Janeway felt.

  
“Gamma shift is entirely in positions now, I think the Captain can retire to her quarters,” Seven said softly as Janeway noted a flush to her cheeks.

  
“What do you say to dinner first, I’m assuming you need to regenerate tonight?”

  
“Dinner is acceptable, though I do not need to regenerate until 0300.”

  
“You are such a flirt,” Kathryn joked, finally letting the command mask fall a little. “OK let’s go to the mess, I need to check in with Neelix,” she said standing up a little stiffly. Seven did not answer but instead moved with alarming speed until she stood blocking Janeway’s path. She looked down at the grey-blue eyes etched with weariness and quickly moved to kiss some life back into them. The kiss escalated quickly when Seven backed Kathryn into the bulkhead, which caused Kathryn to kiss her harder. But it was Kathryn that broke away, as much as it pained her to do so. This was not the time or the place. But god she wanted to ignore that.

 

“Dinner first,” she said breathing hard.

 

“Acceptable,” replied Seven as she thumbed some errant strands of hair back into her twist. “I am surprised at your restraint,” Seven smirked. “I thought I had you there.”

 

“You did! That’s why I stopped you, this poor bridge crew has been through enough and I’m far too tired to be quiet.” Her eyes sparkled and Seven swallowed hard. “So let’s make dinner quick, eh?”

 

With that, the captain sailed from her quarters, bidding goodnight to the gamma shift crew, Seven at her heels.

 

 

 

 


	15. Chapter Fifteen

 

 

The week passed quickly and they had yet to find a single suitable planet for leave. Janeway had asked Chakotay to reorder the duty roster to give as much off duty time to the away teams as possible. Hopefully they would find a decent spot soon. Everyone was feeling pretty well shot.

 

Tuvok was back to duty and adding to the skepticism for each shore leave possibility. It wasn’t just the Vulcan, everyone seemed to have gotten a bit over cautious, and with good reason. At least they’d be able to let loose this weekend. From all accounts, it was shaping up to be a hell of a fete.

 

 

Naomi and Neelix had outdone themselves on their assignment. The Captain could hardly believe they were still on the Holodeck. Every detail was perfect, even the air smelled of that old familiar honeysuckle mixed with the finest manure. It was home, almost. She began to walk to the house, she still had some final, last minute adjustments to make before the crew would arrive. It only took a moment and then she closed the program before setting off for her quarters. It wouldn’t do for the captain to be late for her own nuptials.

 

  
The Doctor was allowed to assume his command version, his rank allowing him to perform the standard wedding ceremony. He had been truly touched when the Captain had approached him and he undertook this new assignment with unbridled enthusiasm, learning fourteen different species bonding ceremonies despite being told the standard ‘old American non-secular’ was what he was to actually perform.

 

 

The ‘guests’ had begun to arrive but both the Captain and Seven had yet to appear. B’Elanna was in her quarters helping Seven with the final touches to her hair and makeup. She looked absolutely stunning, B’Elanna thought, and then said to a shocked Seven.

 

  
“Yeah, the Captain’s going to have to fight to contain herself!”

 

  
Seven’s cheeks flushed at that and she look a final look at herself in the floor length mirror. The silk dress she’d chosen was closer to ivory making her alabaster skin glow around her still visible implants. The silk clung alluringly to her many curves and did not stop until it was just above her knees. It would have been a little conservative save for the slit that traveled the length of her left thigh. The plunging neckline of the dress was studded with tiny seed pearls which trailed in circles across the entire dress, giving it a constantly rippling effect.

 

  
She’d decided against a veil and a train, neither seeming remotely practical to her. The bouquet on the other hand, intrigued her though there was also little utility in arranging dead plant matter. Seven did appreciate certain aesthetics though and they were certainly reflected in the bouquet she selected. It was in fact made up of kale, basil, and leola leaves, interspersed with dried lotus pods and several largish sunflowers. It was largely edible and Seven was quite pleased with the result. It was definitely Seven.

 

  
A smile, broader than any B’Elanna had ever witnessed from the former drone, dazzled across Seven’s face as she turned from the mirror.

 

  
“Ready there Borg princess?” B’Elanna kidded, unable to take her eyes from Seven. A number of inappropriate images flooded B’Elanna’s head and she chortled weakly to cover her sudden spike in heart rate.

 

  
“Ready,” replied Seven, her cheeks still close to scarlet. B’Elanna had never seen Seven less ready but it was now or never. So she stood and took Seven by the arm, pulling her forward towards the Holodeck.

 

 

 

Janeway had fussed and re-fussed with herself. Her dress whites were crisp and her hair was actually behaving. But she was nervous and this time, her command mask did nothing to help. Tuvok was waiting for her in the other room. She’d chosen him as her best man but allowed for Chakotay to make the speech, much to Tuvok’s relief. She took a last look in the mirror, willing her eyes away from the tiny crows feet that seemed to expand overnight. She looked good, better than she had any right to anyway. With a deep breath, she turned and gathered the rings and her notes for the vows. She handed the rings to Tuvok and slid the vows into her tunic pocket. Then they were off, wordlessly making their way to the Holodeck.

 

The Captain knew she was a little late as she stepped through the doors and into her childhood abode. She also knew they couldn’t start without her and the thought brought a small smile to her tightened lips. She led Tuvok towards the expansive farmhouse where the wedding arbor was set up around the corner of the yard. The sky was the clear blue of early May, the light hanging at that perfect golden angle. Everything was brighter it seemed, and the Captain smiled, forgetting for a scant moment that this was just a hologram.

 

As she approached the house, a figure appeared. An impossible figure and Janeway felt herself gaping, caught between shock and annoyance.

 

It couldn’t possibly be true, it couldn’t be her mother. She was quite explicit when she told them a holographic version of her mother wouldn’t do, no matter how badly she wanted her at the wedding.

 

But as the wind blew, it lifted her hair and it suddenly became clear that they were no longer on the Holodeck. Her feet took off without her knowledge and she barreled down the grassy yard, her dress whites shining in the rays of Earth’s sun.

 

  
“Katy oh Katy!” Her mother cried as the captain wrapped her in her a bear hug.

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Why did I think a wedding would fit neatly in one chapter? 
> 
> Hope you’re enjoying it so far. Thanks for sticking with it. It’s always a blast writing for you all and I’m a little sad to see the light at the end of this particular J7 tunnel. (Not sad enough to not finish, never fear)
> 
> Keep an eye out for more updates soon.  
> Cheers!


	16. Chapter Sixteen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Sunday!

 

 

 

  
The ‘guests’ were beginning to realize something was amiss but they knew for a fact it was when Q suddenly materialized before them.

 

  
“Welcome home,” he beamed, still smarmy, but in an endearing sort of way. “You’ll find Voyager safely in orbit and cloaked ingeniously if I do say so myself. But I imagine your Starfleet will likely want a word soon, they likely can read something up there. So you better get a move on!”

 

  
Seven had been waiting out of eyesight of the crowd. She’d heard Kathryn’s yelp and without thinking, pulled away from B’Elanna and ran towards the source of the noise. Kathryn had barely reached the backyard and looked up to see Seven headed right for her.

 

  
Kathryn’s mouth dropped at the sight of Seven, both angelic and incredibly sexy in the slinky silk. She tried to speak as she stepped back from her mother but no words formed on her lips.

 

  
Sensing an awkward moment, Q jumped right into it.

 

  
“Kathy, aren’t you going to introduce me? It’s my honor Mrs. Janeway,” Q smarmed, extending his hand. The elder Janeway stared at it a long moment before taking it and instead pulling Q into an unexpected hug.

 

  
“Thank you,” she gushed. “I know this was your doing.” Then she thumped him hard on the back before releasing him and turning her eyes on Seven. She looked from Seven to Kathryn then back to Seven.

 

  
“Katy,” she said in a tone that brooked no argument.

 

  
Now blushing fiercely, her command mask in shards at her mother’s feet, Kathryn took a long moment to respond.

 

  
“Mom, this is Seven of Nine, formerly of the Borg Collective, and,” could she get any redder! “And-she’s about to be m-my wife.”

 

  
“And Seven, this is my mother, Gretchen Janeway.”

 

 

There was a long silent moment as Gretchen let her eyes freely roam over Seven. She must have been appeased because Seven was drawn into a fiercer hug than she’d ever experienced. Still holding onto Seven, Gretchen turned her head to her daughter. She smiled before she said, “You had better get your sister here.”

 

  
Q, sensing another favor, snapped his fingers and Phoebe Janeway appeared beside them, covered in a mixture of clay and paint. She looked very confused until she spied her sister. Seven did not know Kathryn could scream in quite that pitch and a deafening reunion ensued.

 

  
“But really,” Q said. “No need to thank me. But I wasn’t kidding about the time. You have about twenty-four hours, use it wisely. I’ll just go take my seat now.”

 

  
With a pop, he disappeared, reappearing amid the very confused guests.

 

  
Janeway managed to hustle both her mother and sister into seats in the first row as Seven ran back to where B’Elanna stood. Within moments, the music had begun.

 

  
Janeway stood nervously that the top of the aisle. She was flanked by Tuvok, Chakotay, and Tom Paris. The Doctor stood in his dress whites, sporting the four star insignia on his tiny collar. The Wedding March began, played by Harry and Vorick, and Seven appeared just behind B’Elanna. The half-Klingon was dressed in a strappy gown and had lined her hair with tiny braids interwoven with gold filaments. Tom could scarcely take his eyes from her as she walked slowly up the aisle.

 

  
Then it was Seven’s turn. She’d never been so nervous but then she saw Kathryn again and her heart swelled. She lifted her chin and strode forward. The guests gasped at the sight if her. She was magnificent and the most human any of them had ever seen. Her steps were slightly rushed until she finally met Kathryn.

 

  
The Doctor was so enamored at the sight of Seven, he nearly forgot his lines. He recovered as the music ended.

 

 

“Dearly Beloved,

 

  
We are gathered together today, for a joyous occasion, to see our Captain finally wed Seven of Nine. They have both requested a brief ceremony, but let me just add this, never has there been so fitting a match, now without further ado, we will hear the exchanging of vows.”

 

  
Kathryn looked up at her cue to speak, then made the mistake of looking from Seven out over the crowd. All of her crew, the Q, and her family. It overwhelmed her. She inhaled sharply before reaching for the card on which she’d scrawled her vows.

 

  
“I prepared words for this moment, however when I wrote them, we were still in space. It would appear that is no longer the case, thanks especially to Q’s help,” a cheer rippled over the crowd and Q gave a little wave in his best attempt at graciousness.

 

  
“Now we have much celebrating to do, well have much explaining to do in the next weeks as well. But for now, in this moment, I am not your captain. I am surrounded by the people I love and cherish and I am standing on the one planet I call home. I promised to get us home, and I have. Now I have a few more promises to make,” she turned to face Seven, and once again was left breathless at the sight of her.

 

  
“Seven of Nine, Annika, Anna—to me you are perfection. I promise to love and cherish that perfection to my dying breath and beyond. I love you with all my heart and I pledge to spend the rest of my days proving that to you.”

 

  
Seven stood staring, marveling at Kathryn, just Kathryn, no sign of the captain. The Doctor was looking at her nervously and she realized she’d missed her cue.

 

  
“Seven, do you take Kathryn Janeway, to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, til death do you part?”

 

  
“I do,” Seven smiled. Tuvok handed Kathryn a small braided, platinum band that was bore a row of four iridescent green stones. She slid the ring onto Seven’s borg-enhanced ring finger. The platinum shone against the dull strips that encased her long digits. The green stones sparkled with iridescence.

 

  
Then it was Seven’s turn and her throat felt suddenly tight. Her humanity often chose poor moments to reassert itself. She swallowed hard and looked at Kathryn once more. She needed no notes, having long since committed the words to her eidetic memory.

 

  
“From the first moment I saw you, Kathryn, through the eyes of a drone, I knew I wanted to see you again. Our early times together were far from easy but even so, I began to hate parting company with you. Soon, I found myself seeking any reason to see you, and realizing that, I stumbled upon a part of my humanity, one I never knew existed. You make me want to be human, Kathryn, and yet, you accept me just as I am, implants and all. I vow to love and protect you with the sum total of my parts until I cease to function. I love because of you.”

 

  
There was not a dry eye to be found. Kathryn squinted through a sheen of tears, smiling blindly at Seven.

 

  
“Do you, Kathryn Janeway, take Seven of Nine, to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, til death do you part?”

 

  
“I do,” Kathryn rumbled, the words thick in her throat.

 

 

“Then by the power vested in me by Starfleet and the United Federation of planets, I declare you officially wedded. You may kiss the bride!”

 

 

As if it were a challenge, Kathryn pulled Seven’s mouth to her own and kissed her with every iota of her being. Seven kissed her back and only the Doctor’s annoying prompting broke them apart.

 

  
The teary eyed crowd erupted in cheers and Kathryn took Seven by the hand and whisked her back up the aisle.

 

 

The party that ensued was a raucous one, encapsulating nearly seven years of tension and torture. They were home, actually home, and though reality had not quite set in yet, an enormous sense of relief had taken its place. The formalities were dashed as wedding became homecoming. After the cutting of the cake, absurd according to Seven, and the first dances, Kathryn leaned close to Seven’s ear and moments later, they were saying their good nights. The party was long from over and a cheer roared over the crowd. The new couple smiled as they parted the crowd of their Voyager kin, then took off like startled deer, making for the farmhouse which was now officially out of bounds.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Getting close to the end now. Thanks for reading and commenting!


	17. Chapter Seventeen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Smut, smut, smutty smut. As requested. You’ve been warned.

 

 

 

  
It was strange to be in her childhood bedroom for so many reasons, least of them being that it was her wedding night. They could have opted for anywhere else but that would have been opening the floodgates. Inside the traditionalist community, they could stall for at least the rest of the night. As the party began to wind down, most of the crew had opted to return to Voyager, safely cloaked by Q. Tomorrow they would deal with Starfleet and reunions and explaining a miracle in terms of protocol. Tonight was for all of them. And tonight, fireworks still lit the skies all around the farmhouse.

 

Phoebe had willingly offered her house up to her mother and other members of the senior staff that had more or less made up the bridal party. It was less than a mile up the gravel road behind the farmhouse. Occasional specks of light bobbed up the dimly lit path and happy voices still filled the air.

 

Kathryn looked out her window at the exploding Roman candles and shook her head. She was still wearing her dress whites and the colors of the incendiaries danced over the bright, starched white. Seven, clad in her wedding dress, crossed the ancient, wooden floor, boards creaking slightly beneath her now bare feet. She stood just behind Kathryn, who’d watched her approach in the reflection of the glass.

 

Silently, Seven wrapped her arms around Kathryn and held her tight.

 

“Happy?” She whispered into Kathryn’s ear.

 

Kathryn turned then, twisting in Seven’s arms until she could see her eyes. Kathryn was grinning broadly.

 

“I’m not sure happy could even cover it. I feel unbelievable!”

 

“You are unbelievable,” Seven deadpanned. And with that, Seven leaned down and captured Kathryn’s lips with her own.

 

The kiss started slowly, their mouths moving in a now practiced manner, their lips parting, acquiescing, when a sudden charge rippled through both of them. It had begun in Kathryn and as it washed over her, she kissed Seven harder, possessively, until the charge electrified Seven as well. They were suddenly kissing fiercely, their lips bruising pleasantly as they both attacked the many layers of Kathryn’s uniform blindly.

  
There were so many layers!

 

Seven was fast, the fingers of both her hands moved faster than Kathryn could keep up with and soon the dress whites lay strewn across the floor. Seven slid her hands around Kathryn’s naked abdomen, her own bare arms, erupting in goosebumps, as she quickly unsnapped the delicate lace bra that stood between her and her quarry. So absorbed was she that Kathryn’s own nimble fingers went unnoticed, at least until they reached the hidden zipper of Seven’s gown. With a tiny tug, the zipper flew, loosing the silk and with it the last of Seven’s abandon.

 

  
The Borg’s disdain for underwear played again in the Captain’s favor, as Seven stepped forward, out of the pool of the dress. Kathryn gaped, shocked partly at her own surprise. She and Seven had been at this for some time, it was hardly a first. Except that it was, their first time on Earth, their first as a married couple, the first in her childhood bedroom! Kathryn’s breath faltered and she continued to stare at Seven.

 

  
Seven’s patience was waning as her heart thundered, making her nerves tingle and her cortical node short circuit. Her eidetic memory reminded her this was far from a first, but to Seven, despite her total recall, it felt all new. And that hunger would be denied no longer. So she turned on Kathryn, pushing their naked skin together, and kissed her hard enough to upset their tenuous equilibrium.

 

  
They crashed onto the twin size bed in a heap, giggling despite the ravenous desire coursing through them both.

 

  
“I think we should have opted for the bigger bed,” Kathryn squeaked, effectively pinned by Seven’s entire body. Not wanting to crush her brand new wife, Seven shifted her weight slightly, pulling back enough to meet Kathryn’s sparkling gaze.

 

  
“I am up for the challenge, are you?” Seven arched her eyebrow doing her best to be serious.

 

  
Kathryn could never turn down a challenge and seeing that fiery glint in Seven’s icy eyes made it impossible to refuse. Kathryn opened her mouth to respond but Seven pressed two fingers to her lips.

 

  
“You talk too much,” Seven whispered as Kathryn parted her lips in reply, drawing Seven’s fingers forward until she was sucking on them in earnest. She circled the long digits with her tongue while scraping them softly with her teeth.

 

  
Seven was caught so unawares by the action and the immense pleasure it had suddenly brought, she let loose a tiny moan as her hips began to cant against Kathryn’s naked thigh. Seven was so wet that Kathryn shuddered, immediately reaching for Seven’s hips as she continued to fuck Seven’s fingers with her mouth. Seven was practically writhing above her now and Kathryn abandoned Seven’s fingers in favor of grasping one of Seven’s luscious nipples between her teeth. She pulled Seven on top of her, luxuriating in the pillowy softness of Seven’s breast enveloping her face. Seven’s hips were moving frantically and Kathryn began to move with her, but not before shifting her leg around Seven.

 

  
Now directly between Kathryn’s legs, Seven felt her own clit brush against Kathryn’s and a surge of energy like she’d never felt overwhelmed her. Thrusting her hips forward, they both yelped and moaned as they slid across each other’s wetness. Seven shuddered as Kathryn moaned and she was impatient for more. Seven reached her still damp fingers between her legs, entering Kathryn roughly with three fingers. Kathryn was so saturated, the force was welcome and she immediately cried out Seven’s name, desperately wanting more of Seven, all of Seven. And Seven complied, shifting her weight again so she could angle herself better. Her fingers continued to pump in and out, Kathryn meeting each thrust with a surge of her hips. Seven added a fourth finger and Kathryn yelled out right, grasping the blonde’s shoulders, pulling their bodies tighter.

 

  
Seven’s own heart pounding was the only sound she could discern and it was peppered with Kathryn’s unhinged screams as she continued to fuck Kathryn deeper and harder, when suddenly she slowed her motions, withdrawing her sticky fingers. As Kathryn moaned her displeasure, Seven merely smiled down at her, a look of the devil in her eyes. And before Kathryn could react, she felt herself being spread wider than she ever had and the whole of Seven’s hand lead by her twisting thumb, pushed slowly, so slowly, all the way inside her. It felt impossibly tight for a moment and Kathryn breathed deeply. As she did so, Seven’s fist settled, moving infinitesimally slow at first.

 

  
“Oh Seven, holy fuck!” She screamed, the profanity of the statement jolting Seven to quicken her motions and soon the were fucking hard and Kathryn was so near, so near, when Seven shifted again. This time Kathryn whimpered but only for a moment as Seven had moved her head down to join her burrowing fist. Seven deftly licked around Kathryn’s clit enjoying the scream it drew from above her before drawing the whole bud into her mouth. Kathryn’s body could take no more as all her muscles began to convulse, trapping Seven’s fist as towering orgasm ripped through them both. Shaking with aftershocks, Seven slowly withdrew her fingers before she was pulled roughly back up the tiny bed to face Kathryn.

 

  
“Oh my darling girl,”she said, her eyes still closed as ripples of orgasm still danced over her nerves. She opened her blue-grey eyes to see Seven smiling above her. “I love you.”

 

  
“Did I surprise you?” Seven said not bothering to hide her smirk.

 

  
“What do you think?”

 

  
But before Seven could answer, Kathryn gathered her remaining strength and attempted to flip herself on top of Seven. She managed the trick but did not account for the unfortunate narrowness of the bed. They tumbled to the ground, the quilt from the bed entangled around their naked limbs. Kathryn had landed squarely on top of Seven and she propped herself there, grinning broadly. Seven looked up and gulped, knowing that look well enough to be prepared for anything.

 

  
“Gotcha,” Kathryn baited her, leaning down and nipping Seven’s long neck.

 

  
“You and no other,” Seven replied before her words were lost to Kathryn sucking harder on her neck. She moaned outright as Kathryn moved slowly down her neck to her breasts, nipping a path to her right nipple while grasping the left between her fingers. Kathryn’s normally light touch was rougher, as if she were truly looking to claim Seven. It was redundant, Seven knew, but she was enjoying the effects nonetheless. Kathryn hesitated to be aggressive at times, not wanting to be rough with Seven. But Seven enjoyed the switch and was currently reveling in the scraping teeth running between her nipples. Kathryn’s mouth moved still further down as the lithe redhead settled herself between Seven’s legs. She ran her fingers through Seven’s blonde thatch enjoying the thrust of the hips that followed. She repeated the action and Seven growled in response, suddenly desperate to have Kathryn inside her.

 

  
Seven didn’t have long to wait as Kathryn pushed back the curls, reaching her tongue forward to languidly caress Seven’s swollen clit. Seven’s movements were becoming more frantic but Kathryn was not about to be rushed. She slid her tongue slowly down, circling Seven’s cunt with the tip of her tongue before plunging it forward, into the steamy center of Seven of Nine. Seven’s taste permeated her every cell as she thrust deeper, harder, as far as her long tongue could reach. Seven was moaning and screaming above her. Seven felt as if Kathryn were sucking out her very soul, that they must be mingling together deep inside Kathryn’s mouth.

 

  
Two fingers joined her tongue, twisting together, until Seven’s muscles began to tighten and Kathryn was suddenly awash, baptized in Seven, as Seven’s legs fell back limply against the floor.

 

  
Kathryn crawled back up Seven’s long body to plant a sticky kiss on her lips. She was more than a little surprised to find Seven’s fingers back between her legs. Not to be outdone, she reached between Seven’s legs, mirroring her motions, their eyes locked on one another. Their fingers moved quickly, in tightening circles, locking their bodies together in an indescribable closeness. As they rose higher and higher, Kathryn leaned forward, capturing Seven’s lips once more as a shattering orgasm ripped through them, leaving them splayed and spent, gasping on the scarred wooden floor.

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cheers!   
> Just a little wrap up to go. Thanks for hanging in there with me on this one. It’s been a long haul.


	18. Chapter Eighteen

 

Meanwhile, back at the party….

 

  
After the hasty departure of the brides, the party took a turn to the wilder side. The fact they suddenly found themselves at the end of their long journey still seemed unbelievable to most of the revelers but they were determined to celebrate nonetheless. The massive amount of champagne consumed was starting to have an effect, not the least on Harry Kim, who downed glass after glass, repeating the mantra, ‘there’s no place like home’.

 

  
Spying this, B’Elanna, deep in her own cups, asked Harry to dance.

 

  
“Hey Starfleet,” she called over to him, reminding them both of how far they’d come.

 

  
Harry wove his way around the swaying bodies, nearly crashing into B’Elanna. The music was up tempo much to B’Elanna’s relief and she and Harry bopped together, both far too drunk to remember any steps. Tom spied the pair and equally drunk, raced onto the dance floor to join them. Suddenly the music shifted to something far quicker and Tom found himself jostled between the fast moving bodies all around him. He lost his footing and, as he reached out to save himself, he grabbed for Chakotay (who had been trying to put the moves on any and every female). Tom missed slightly, grabbing onto Chakotay’s pants instead of Chakotay himself, and found himself falling forward as he exceeded the tensile strength of the Starfleet issue belt. Chakotay reached forward as he found himself crashing to the ground, his uniform practically around his ankles. He managed to grab hold of someone but not in time. He landed on top of Tom with a thud that did bring and abrupt pause to the dance floor. No one moved for a moment, as all eyes were suddenly turned on the heaping pile of Tom, Harry, and a semi-pantless Chakotay. A roar filled the air, yet another release of the tension built on the many years Voyager was lost to the Delta Quadrant. B’Elanna stood over the guys and just howled, refusing to help any of them to their feet. Instead, she took the opportunity to make her way back to the bar where Neelix was now pouring a round of whiskey shots in the Captain’s honor.

 

 

Phoebe Janeway stood at the end of the bar, nursing a neat martini and watching her sister’s crew exult in their miraculous homecoming. Phoebe was still pretty shocked herself. She hadn’t given up on ever seeing her sister again but keeping the faith was hard. Her latest gallery show had featured her ‘forever lost’ series of abstracts. Each one painted in the hope it would one day be rendered obsolete. Well, today was that day. And Kathryn had not only returned home, clearly by some magic, but she returned home a married woman, married to a woman, a Borg? And possibly the most stunning looking woman Phoebe had ever seen. Her mother had hissed her into silence during the ceremony, but as the party wound away from the wedding itself, Phoebe found herself drowning in questions. Watching the ridiculous partiers only brought more questions. And that was when she saw B’Elanna belly up to the bar. Phoebe slid from her stool and closed the small distance between her and the half-Klingon.

 

 

B’Elanna downed the shot placed before her and let out a healthy yowl before shaking her head. Her eyes fell on the form of Phoebe Janeway just a few meters from her. She’d been introduced to the Captain’s sister briefly after the ceremony but she hadn’t really noticed her. Now, with whiskey coursing over the champagne, B’Elanna found herself staring. First Seven and now the captains sister? What the hell was getting into me? B’Elanna thought as she struggled to pull her eyes away from the waify blonde in the sundress. Phoebe didn’t look much like Kathryn though you could clearly see they were sisters when they stood close together. Where Kathryn was petite and fiery, Phoebe was fair and almost wispy, her long, tall limbs reminding B’Elanna of a weeping willow.

 

 

“B’Elanna, right?” Phoebe asked knowing she was correct. The stunning half-Klingon had intrigued her almost as much as her brand-new Borg sister-in-law.

 

 

“Can I get one of those?” Phoebe asked Neelix, though she was unable to remember his name.

 

 

The heat was rising in B’Elanna’s cheeks before she even reached for the next glass from the line on the bar.

 

 

“To Kathryn, intrepid Captain!” Phoebe toasted. She clinked her glass against B’Elanna’s before downing the shot.

 

 

Tom had come busting up to the bar and was more than happy to indulge some more.

 

 

“Tommy Paris, I don’t believe it! I mean I knew but wow you sure grew up!”

 

 

B’elanna looked from Tom to Phoebe. Of course they would know each other! Tom was in fact the color of his tunic, a blush sweeping completely over his fair, boyish features making him seem far younger than his years.

 

  
“If it isn’t Phoebe, the freaky. It’s been a long time,” Tom was still blushing furiously and B’Elanna was struck with a twinge of jealousy as Tom nervously fidgeted. Had they dated?

 

  
“Don’t worry, B’Elanna, I used to babysit for Tommy,” replied Phoebe, reading her mind. “Old Starfleet brass tend to stick together and our fathers were old war buddies. Besides, Tommy had a crush on Katie way back then. I don’t think she ever stopped long enough to notice, though,” Phoebe teased, reaching over and patting Tom supportively on the shoulder.

 

  
“You had a crush on the Captain?”

 

  
“We were kids! Well I was. She was already at the academy by then!”

 

  
The thought of schoolboy Tommy trailing after Ensign Janeway was too much for B’Elanna’s inebriated mind. She began to giggle which turned into a belly laugh that turned contagious. Laughter rippled through the tent and over the dark and dewy lawns reaching all the way to the house.

 

  
“I have a great idea!” Phoebe declared, the look of the devil dancing in her blue-grey eyes. She leapt to her feet and grabbed both B’Elanna and Tom, pulling them out of the tent, Harry trailing just behind them.

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you’re enjoying the last loops of this long ride. It’s been a blast to write and you guys have helped so much with your kudos and comments.


	19. Chapter Nineteen

They hadn’t gotten far when they stumbled into Q Junior weaving a lazy path back towards the bar. Seeing the mischievous quartet, Junior couldn’t resist. He’d just settled his lady and their baby safely back in the Continuum and he had some time to play. So he turned and joined the trio instead.

 

“So you’re the Aunt Kathy’s sister? Interesting,” Junior mused.

 

“Aunt Kathy?” Phoebe winced.

 

“Well, she is my godmother.”

 

“But you’re, you’re a Q. Isn’t that kind of being a god already?” It sounded to Phoebe like she had a lot of stories to pry from her older sister, that was if she could pry her sister off the blonde bombshell. 

 

They’d come to a stop at a small shed and Phoebe pushed open the door. She rummaged around for a minute and then swore.

 

“I swore we stashed more fireworks in here last summer!” Phoebe moaned, disappointed.

 

“Fireworks,” Junior beamed. “Why didn’t you say so!”

 

A pile of fireworks appeared suddenly before them but they were no match for the ones that Junior shot from his fingertips. Then, before they could even ask, a crate if champagne appeared as well. They each grabbed a bottle and began drunkenly lighting tapers and squealing. 

 

The sky was filled with glowing bursts, miniature supernovas, and even starships glinting against the Indiana night. Soon the sky was also filled with some other, less discreet sounds and they looked at each other in the darkness. They’d settled on the hill behind the house and the noises were growing louder causing a fit of giggles to interrupt the pyrotechnics.

 

“Did someone just scream Omega?” Tom squealed before collapsing in a fit of laughter.

 

“Maybe we should take this little party back to my place?” Phoebe said. Listening to Kathryn from afar was a little too reminiscent of her misspent youth. Plus she knew her sister would be mortified if she knew. Well, maybe not, judging from the the escalating volume.

 

The quintet got to their feet pretty sloppily, Harry had to hang onto Tom and Junior to stay upright. Phoebe took the opportunity to walk ahead, B’Elanna falling in step next to her.

 

“So you and Tommy? I hope for your sake he’s grown up some,” Phoebe was flirting and she knew she shouldn’t, but she couldn’t help it. This was all so overwhelming, it turned her manic side on beyond any reason.

 

“Not really,” B’Elanna sighed. “But he’s good in a pinch. And a pretty ace pilot. And for some reason, I love him,” they both looked back at the same time. The trio had lost some footing but seemed unconcerned. The ladies left them to it, quickening their own drunken trot.

 

By the time they reached Phoebe’s house, the party had mostly dissipated. Most of the crew had already returned to Voyager with a few stragglers vowing to make it to morning. Chakotay had struck out at every turn and he and Neelix consoled themselves by finishing the shots left on the bar. 

 

Tuvok had remained his calm, sober self, and took it upon himself to corral the crew back to Voyager. Naomi Wildman, though, had managed to sneak enough champagne to be quite a handful for her mother before falling asleep on their table. They transported back with Tuvok himself as the night wound to a close.

 

Back at Phoebe’s house, the boys had passed out upon reaching the living room, Junior disappearing as soon as he dropped Harry roughly on the couch. Gretchen was already asleep upstairs so Phoebe and B’Elanna crept quietly around to the back porch. There they sat and watched the sunrise as they polished off the last of the champagne.

 

“I heard you were in the Maquis,” Phoebe said quietly. “I knew some Maquis, almost joined up myself.”

 

“That would have caused quite a scandal. Not unlike Tom, I suppose, but he didn’t last long,” B’Elanna shifted slightly in her seat. She was intrigued by Phoebe. She was not anything like the Captain, not anything like anyone B’Elanna had ever met, and certainly nothing that she’d expected. 

 

“Too much Starfleet in the veins, I suppose. I’m just more of a pacifist I guess,” Phoebe’s brain drifted back over the heartache of the last decade. She’d lost more than most but having Katie come back made up for some of it. 

 

“That seems like several lifetimes ago,” B’Elanna replied, her eyes locked on the hazy, pink horizon. The sun had just begun to break, its bright, silver-gold rays stretched across the fields to the east. 

 

“I know what you mean. I lost a lot of friends these last years of the war. And I thought I’d already lost Katie. So all this is completely crazy still,” Phoebe closed her eyes, suddenly exhausted. “I think I’m headed up to bed, I can show you to your room, if you like.”

 

B’Elanna looked up at Phoebe before she stood, unsteadily. Phoebe reached forward and helped B’Elanna steady herself. The brief touch was electric. Their eyes met before B’Elanna broke away.

 

“I’ll just crash down here with the boys,” B’Elanna said, casting a weary eye in the direction of the snoring living room. 

 

“Suit yourself,” Phoebe smiled, slightly relieved at B’Elanna’s refusal.

 

“There’s more blankets and pillows on the other arm chair. My room is the first off the stairs, if you need anything,” Phoebe said with a wink before she disappeared up the steps. B’Elanna stood for a long moment before walking quietly to the living room and sacking out on the couch next to Tom.


	20. Chapter Twenty

 

 

 

 

Smoke swirled, lit by green light and obscuring her view in every direction. She could have been anywhere. She wasn’t anywhere. But she knew it. Another figure parted the mist but she couldn’t make out more than a dark outline as the shape grew larger.

 

 

 

“Seven?” She asked but the reply came from the wrong direction.

 

 

 

“Yes,” Seven said from behind Kathryn, causing the redhead to twist around.

 

 

“Then-

 

 

“Hello Katie,” the figure said plainly.

 

 

The mist cleared and suddenly they were back on the farm but not the farm they had left behind. This was the farm when Kathryn was a child. They were standing at the paddock fence as two horses gallivanted away from them.

 

 

“Aren’t you going to introduce us, Katie?”  Lucy placed a booted foot on the fence and hoisted herself up to sit atop it. Her long braids bounced in the dappled sunlight. Kathryn stood gaping at her from the ground. “Guess not.”

 

 

 

“You must be Lucy,” Seven said, her eyes glinting over the now clear figure, swinging her legs above them.

 

 

“And you must be Seven, and of course a former member of the Collective.”

 

 

“You were assimilated,” Seven asked plainly as she too grasped the fence and raised herself to sit next to Lucy leaving Kathryn to gawp from the ground.

 

 

“This was my dream,” she muttered but the other two women ignored her.

 

 

“I was. But I didn’t last very long as a drone. The sphere I was on was attacked and destroyed during the battle of Wolf 359.”

 

 

“Then how are you here?” Seven studied the delicate features of Lucy’s face, the face of the first woman Kathryn had ever loved. She bore no trace of her assimilated self.

 

 

“Ask Katie, it’s her dream,” Lucy smiled, immediately taking a liking to Seven.

 

 

Kathryn had enough. It was her dream, dammit! So she closed her eyes and suddenly they were in the Coeur de Lyon. Both Kathryn and Seven were dressed as their alter egos but Lucy appeared dressed as an American GI. They were seated at the bar, glasses of champagne before them.

 

 

“A toast,” Lucy announced. “To the happy couple, welcome home.”

 

 

Lucy leaned forward and kissed Kathryn gently on the cheek. The she turned and kissed Seven the same, then she stepped back and disappeared leaving Seven and Kathryn to gape at each other.

 

 

“That was Lucy?” Seven finally said and Kathryn finally cracked a smile.

 

 

“Yeah, that was Lucy. She has a way of invading my dreams, if you’re going to keep doing the same, I’m sure you’ll get to know her too. God, I love you in that dress.”

 

 

The silver dress clung beautifully to Seven, as it always did. Transfixed by Lucy’s presence, Seven hadn’t realized she was wearing it.

 

 

“I think you love removing this dress from me far more,” Seven tried to deadpan but it came out far lustier than she intended.

 

 

“You’re right,” Kathryn smirked, feeling incredibly cocky dressed in the white tux. “And it is still our wedding night.”

 

 

“I think you will find that it is morning, madam.”

 

 

“Don’t you madam me, Seven, come here!”

 

 

They were kissing in an instant, their bodies twisting back and forth against the bar.

 

 

“We’re really home?” Kathryn said as she pulled back to catch her breath.

 

 

“We are on Earth. So you are home. And since I am with you, then I must be home as well.”

 

 

“Flirt!”

 

 

Seven twisted again, this time grasping Kathryn around the waist and hoisting her up onto the bar. Kissing her again, she forced Kathryn’s weight back until she pressed her palms to the back. This caused her ample, tuxedo clad breasts to press pleasantly into Seven as she made her way back down to quickly undo Kathryn’s pants.

 

 

Turned on beyond belief, a strange thought flitted through Kathryn’s mind and out her mouth,

 

 

“Have we done this before?”

 

 

With a tug, the pants came loose and Seven pulled them off with a flourish. She smiled as she pushed Kathryn’s legs wide. Looking up at Kathryn, she replied,

 

 

“Not that you can recall, but I was the one on the bar.”

 

 

Kathryn thought for a moment before Seven lowered her mouth and erased any sign of cognitive function.

 

 

 


	21. Chapter 21–Epilogue

 

 

 

  
Seven woke first, strong rays of sunlight were filtering through the gauzy curtains, finding their way right to the tiny bed. Though awake, Seven made no move to stir, instead she was enjoying being wrapped around a still snoring Kathryn. They were both quite naked beneath the sheet and quilt and the chilly air made Seven shiver. Kathryn felt her move and muttered something unintelligible before blinking awake.

 

  
“Hey,” was what she finally managed.

 

  
“Hey,” Seven replied smiling.

 

  
“That was some dream. But I think we were interrupted.”

 

  
Before Seven could realize, Kathryn reached beneath the covers, sliding her fingers through Seven’s very wet folds. She was like velvet, quicksilver, and Kathryn moaned into Seven’s mouth as she kissed her hard. Seven took the opportunity to reach for Kathryn. They were suddenly moving together, their skin searing, their bodies inseparable. Kathryn opened her mouth to howl as they toppled but Seven covered her mouth with a kiss deep enough to swallow her scream. They collapsed breathless, Kathryn was unable to move and found herself plastered against Seven. They’d lost the covers again. And, from the sound of it, they were no longer alone in the house.

 

  
Kathryn froze when she heard her mother’s voice clearly through the ancient floorboards. For a moment she felt like a teenager, in trouble again. But then she looked down at Seven, Seven who was all but laughing out loud at her, and remembered who and where she really was. She burst out laughing first, followed by Seven as they toppled once more from the minuscule bed. This time though, the thud reverberated and caused a voice of concern to drift up the creaking stairwell.

 

  
“You ok up there?” Gretchen yelled from the landing.

 

 

“We’re fine mom, just clumsy,” Kathryn yelled back through the closed door, praying her mother not open it.

 

 

Kathryn leapt to her feet and suddenly realized they only had their wedding clothes! She hastily wrapped herself in the sheet as she tossed the quilt back for Seven to do the same. Unlike Kathryn, Seven possessed remarkably little modesty and Gretchen was not her mother. Seven lay back on the bed, the quilt sliding down to her waist.

 

  
“You’ll be sorry if she comes in here,” Kathryn said warningly at the languishing Borg sprawled across her bed.

 

  
“Is the door not sealed?” Seven asked, a slight concern tinging her words.

 

  
“No, dad did not believe in locks on doors.”

 

  
Seven shot to her feet, grasping at the quilt which was covering very little.

 

  
Kathryn giggled at Seven’s sudden modesty, though it was her implants and not her fabulously free breasts, that she was trying to conceal.

 

  
“It’s ok honey. She’s not really coming in here. But we do have a problem. We’ve got no other clothes here! And we don’t have replicators.”

 

  
“You have no clothes stored here?” Seven allowed the sarcasm to drip from her lips. “I know I saw some last night.”

 

  
Kathryn ran to the small closet across the room. It was indeed still full of her clothes though most of them were twenty years old or more. It would have to do. She’d just have to find something for Seven. She grabbed at some tops and remembered the dresser held more.

 

She came away with a couple of old academy T-shirt’s, a pair of old, slightly torn blue jeans with a rip above the right knee. For Seven, the choices were slim. She and Kathryn were not off too much in measurements except when it came to their legs. The skirt Kathryn grabbed hid absolutely nothing and while Kathryn made a note of it silently, it would not do for public consumption. The only other option was a pair of sweatpants that ended just below Seven’s knees. They and the slightly too tight t-shirt would have to do. Kathryn ducked into the adjoining bathroom to wash up before stepping into clothes she hadn’t worn in nearly two decades. Stepping back out, everything felt very surreal.

 

Kathryn looked at a Seven, and tossed her a pair of socks. Seven could wear burlap sack and still look sexy as hell, she thought looking at the get-up. Now fully dressed herself, she walked over to Seven and planted a soft kiss on her lips as she wrapped her arms around Seven’s neck.

 

  
“You ready for this?”

 

  
“Breakfast?” Seven quipped.

 

  
“There might be a crowd.”

 

  
“In that case,” Seven moved instead of finishing and swept Kathryn gracefully from her feet. “I believe we skipped this step last night.”

 

  
Seven charged out the door with Kathryn in her arms. When she reached the landing, a roar erupted from the floor below. Seven froze as Kathryn stifled a smug laugh. There were a few whistles as Seven lowered Kathryn back to her feet. They looked down to see the entire crew of Voyager filling the house and spilling out across the lawns.

 

  
“So much for a quiet breakfast,” Kathryn mumbled low enough only Seven could hear as they quickly made their way down the stairs and into the throng.

 

 

 

 

Epilogue

 

 

 

  
After breakfast, they said goodbye to Phoebe and Gretchen and everyone beamed back aboard Voyager. Soon they would find themselves ensconced in Starfleet again, their time occupied with briefings and reports.

 

  
Captain Janeway took a moment to speak over the shipwide comm.

 

  
“It’s been quite a journey, folks. I know it’s been a long one, and I couldn’t be prouder to have made it with you wonderful people. You have been an outstanding crew and I hope to serve with you all again one day. You will always be family to me. Now Mr. Paris, please hail Starfleet and set a course for home!”

 

With that, Q’s cloak disappeared, making Voyager visible once more.

 

Gretchen and Phoebe waved from the ground as they watched the battle scarred ship cross the sky above.

  
“Think she’ll stick around this time, Ma?” Phoebe asked, fighting back a tear in the corner of her eye.

  
“Oh for a bit, I imagine. But before long she’ll want to be right back up there. I have to say, I feel a little better at the prospect knowing Seven will be with her.”

  
“Yeah mom, I like her too,” Phoebe replied, wrapping her arm around her mother’s shoulders and squeezing her tight.

 

Voyager finally disappeared from sight and mother and daughter retreated inside the farmhouse to start a fresh pot of coffee. In the sky above, Captain Kathryn Janeway assumed command of Voyager one last time. Never had San Francisco looked as wonderful as it did that afternoon. Kathryn looked back at Seven before they were to disembark. Seven smiled back. Hand in hand, they walked slowly away from their first home and into the future, together.

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well that’s it! I hope you enjoyed the wild ride from Madame to here. I’ve certainly had a lot of fun and I am sad to see it end. The good news is Phoebe inspired me to write a related one-shot that I’ve been working furiously on whenever I can.
> 
> I have to say thank once again to all of you. Without your great feedback and support, and without the great platform of AO3, this might never have existed. Please consider donating to AO3 if you can. It really is an amazing resource. 
> 
> And, if I ever get my original fiction actually published, you guys will be the first to know!
> 
> Thanks for being the best fans ever.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading. Let me know what you think. Cheers!


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